You Need a Sous Chef
by Speary
Summary: Cas Novak runs a popular restaurant. His world is running along beautifully until the night that his sous chef quits to start a new restaurant. To make matters worse, he takes many of the staff with him. Enter Dean. He works for the nearby dive, The Roadhouse. Late one night Cas stops in for a bite and from that moment, everything changes. Cas needs a sous chef like Dean. Destiel.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my Destiel Reverse Bang 2016. My artist is Victorian-Hoecake. I recommend viewing her art via Tumblr. I'm making a masterpost there and via LJ. My Tumblr is spearywritesstuff dot tumblr dot com. Enjoy the food fic.**

* * *

The oil was ready on the stove. He had diced the onions on the cutting board and scraped them up onto the blade of the knife. He moved them into the oil and set to work on the potatoes. He would cut them into small chunks to cook along with the onions. It would be a simple accompaniment for the eggs that he would scramble. Well, not entirely simple. He'd add some chipotle and a few other spices to give it all some kick. It was certainly not what he would prepare in the evening at his restaurant. There the menu was one of two things: the vegetarian tasting menu or the standard menu complete with seafood, steak, and poultry. His creations were well-received. He changed the menu each week, creating a wholly new experience for his customers each time that they visited.

The smell of the onions wafted up to him. There was nothing quite so pleasing as the scent of them as they cooked to translucency. Cas breathed in the aroma and finished cutting the potatoes. He gave the onions a little stir then began cracking the eggs to whisk up into a vibrant yellow, like liquid sunshine. The eggs weren't from the supermarket. He had a guy that would deliver them from his farm outside of the city. He treated his chickens well. They had acres of land to roam. They were fed a diet that included what they could scavenge from the land, like bugs and seeds, while also getting additional organic feed. The result, Cas thought, was a much more enjoyable flavor, a more vibrant color, and the secondary enjoyment that came from knowing that his food was coming from somewhere ethical.

He added the potatoes to the onions and gave them a stir. He readied a skillet to begin cooking his eggs and glanced at the window. The sunlight streaming in was still tinged with sunrise pinks and the distant hint of the fading night. It reminded him to hurry a bit. He hated that this time of the day had become something else for him in recent months. He had enjoyed the quiet, the anticipation of an evening spent doing what he loved. Now it was a thing of frustration. He needed a sous chef, among other things.

Uriel had worked with him from the beginning. The restaurant was all Cas Novak, but Uriel was the support system that kept it all from feeling like work. He had a quick sense of humor that many would view as rather dry. He was organized and efficient. The employees respected him and had just enough fear of him that they would rarely step out of their roles. He wrote up schedules for everyone that held no room for compromise. They were either able to do as he expected or they were no longer employed. In that way, Novak's pumped out food and high quality dining experiences for over a year. Then Uriel quit.

Uriel quitting would have been bad enough. He didn't just quit though; he took people with him. He was starting his own restaurant on the other end of town. He needed a staff, and some of Cas' best employees followed. Cas felt betrayed and also a little like he had failed rather spectacularly in the likability department if his employees were so willing to rush off to Uriel's new place. If that wasn't bad enough, Uriel also had the nerve to ask Cas if he wanted to give up his restaurant, and start anew with him as his sous chef. It made no sense. Cas laughed at him, and then glared at him as he pointed out the door that he could haul himself out of.

In the end he lost four servers, his best host, two dishwashers, and his general manager. It was bad. There was no kind of notice either. He had to bring in temporary staff on the night that it had happened. At least Uriel had done it on a Sunday. They were closed on Monday, and could scramble for help in a pinch. Sunday though had been bad, so bad.

Cas had swiftly promoted Charlie, a young, energetic red-head to the role of sous chef. She survived, barely. What was tough was watching Kevin take over her work as head baker as this was not his skill-set. He was a not trained for the job in the slightest. She ended up doing both jobs in a haphazard rush that had her darting in and out of the fridge with heavy cream one minute and fresh greens in the next. Cas had watched her plating of the chicory salad with persimmons and pecans. It was messy and over dressed. The vinaigrette would be less than pleasing to whomever was the recipient. In the end, Cas had also had to do two jobs that night as well.

Charlie was glad to be demoted back to her old role as head baker. Kevin was pulled into the role of sous chef, while Cas waited for eager workers to flock to his restaurant for interviews. They came and went. He found none of them to be particularly good. They'd be better than what he had currently with Kevin or Charlie, but he didn't want a temporary solution. Kevin would maybe last another couple of days, but Cas couldn't see putting just anyone into the role. Then Katja showed up with a glowing recommendation and talent. It also worked to her advantage that Cas had been binge-watching _Downton Abbey,_ and she looked a lot like Mrs. Patmore. He hired her almost immediately. He didn't question why she left her last job, or why she wanted to work for him. The interview, after looking over her resume, merely consisted of what can you do, and when can you start. To which she had answered, everything and now.

Cas had been pleased at first. Katja though was a stern taskmaster. It didn't take long for Cas to see that she would inevitably be a problem. She was mean, and spoke to those in the back of the house like they were barely worthy of breathing in her vicinity. She bustled around the back, hip-checking people that got in her way. She hip-checked Cas once, and got a glare. She gave it right back, and Cas almost let her go. Then he remembered his position, and how he didn't have time to build his staff back up properly while looking for yet another sous chef.

That had been a mistake. She had asserted her dominance and had won. Cas tried to ignore it. He wanted to fall back in love with his restaurant, with the joy of cooking. He hired on a new host, a woman named Anna who said she had prior experience, but had been out of the scene for a time. He liked her honesty and kind eyes and took another chance. The dishwashers had been easily replaced. The server vacancies were filled a week later. Three weeks after Uriel left and the place was back to being nearly as it was before. Yet, it also wasn't.

No one was particularly happy anymore. Cas was perhaps the most unhappy of all. Now he sat in his apartment, looking out at a sunrise sky, eating eggs and potatoes, dreading what had once been a pleasure. Katja had gotten worse. She yelled at him in front of his employees. He began looking for a replacement in secret. He couldn't have her quit before he was ready. At the same time, he couldn't have her undermining his role in the restaurant either. She treated him like he was a child and not her boss. He was taking his time in his search for her replacement though. He did not want to end up in a repeat of his current situation.

* * *

Friday nights at Novak's were always busy. This Friday would be no different. They had reservations that had been on the books for over a month. Cas felt a sense of pride as he considered this. Here he was, successfully running his own place, finally. Even with the setbacks, it was a worthy accomplishment. Then Katja's voice, shrill and loud, pierced the quiet. They were closed so it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but still, he did not like what he was hearing. They'd be opening for dinner in under an hour, and yelling usually meant that something was horribly awry.

He slowly moved himself from the front of the restaurant to the back. Katja was yelling at Charlie. She had apparently hip-checked Charlie, and Charlie had had enough. "How dare you talk to me that way." Katja was puffing herself out, pressing Charlie back toward the fridge.

"How dare you? You're the one with the problem. You're the one that seems to think it's okay to practically knock a person out of your way. I had a crate of eggs and a veritable ton of fruit in my hands. You had nothing. You could have moved." Charlie's face was flushed.

Katja moved closer to her. Charlie had nowhere to go. "I've half a mind to remove you from the schedule. I don't need this type of insubordination in my kitchen."

Charlie seemed to find her nerve and pushed herself from the wall, sending Katja back a step. "Good luck with that. Pretty sure you don't have a head baker with my skills just laying around for a Friday night shift." She pushed past Katja with a smirk and made her way to her station. She caught Cas' eye and raised a brow.

He moved to her side. "You okay?"

Katja was watching this interaction. "Yeah. Be nice if you fixed the problem though."

He glanced over at Katja. It was Friday. He needed her for the weekend at least. He couldn't do the busiest days without her. He walked over to her and asked if she could come to his office for a chat. "I'm busy." She stepped past him brusquely.

"It wasn't really a request, Katja." Cas waited for her to turn around. She didn't. She just marched off to her station and began preparing the food for the night. He glanced over at Charlie who had let out an audible sigh and returned her focus to her own station as well.

He made a choice then to let it go just a little longer. He could handle a few more days, get someone hired first. He just had to make a real effort toward getting this done and getting her out.

* * *

Cas had started spending occasional evenings at a small bar and grill down the street from his place. It was called the Roadhouse and it was the absolute antithesis of everything that his own restaurant was. For one, it was in the most run-down building he had ever seen. Secondly, it was loud and carried that biker-bar vibe that should have driven him away immediately. It had the opposite effect though. Maybe it was the constant stream of abuse that he had experienced near Katja that had made this place appealing. Maybe it was the smell of something mouth-wateringly good that wafted out the door that first convinced him to go on inside. When his night ended at Novak's, it was all he could do to keep from rushing out. He used to eat a late dinner there, have a nightcap, and head home with dreams of what he'd put on the menu next. Katja ruined that peaceful existence. However, it had led to him finding the Roadhouse, and that wasn't a bad thing at all.

It had been after a particularly trying Tuesday night complete with Katja's usual brand of cruelties. He decided to walk home to clear his head. That had brought him to the Roadhouse the first time. He went in and found a lone booth in a dark corner. A harried woman came to his table and tossed a menu down in front of him. "You want a drink?"

"Sure. You got a stout on tap?" Cas glanced over at the bar and noted the beers that others were drinking, all I.P.A.s he assumed.

"Yeah, I got one. Be right back with that." She stalked off slipping a tip off of a table as she passed. A guy at the bar reached out to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in. "You best be letting me work, or I'll have to cut you off, ya old geezer." Her words held no menace, but he did let her go, and she continued on to the other side of the bar.

Something smelled amazing. In fact, as he glanced around the room, he noticed that everyone had virtually the same thing. One of the guys across from him was lifting a large cheeseburger to his mouth. Cas felt his own mouth water. His waitress came back and set his beer on the table. "Thanks."

"Yeah, you want some food, or just the beer?" She asked as she glanced over at the next table.

"I'll take one of the cheeseburgers." He pushed the menu over to her, and she scooped it up and walked off toward the kitchen.

He heard her call out into the back, "Dean, 'nother cheeseburger."

"Got it," the reply came back through the tiny opening between them. Cas watched the space. He was always amused by the way restaurants laid out their work stations, but in this moment he wanted to see the cook. He wanted to make assumptions about what kind of person would choose to work in a place like this. He needed a face to pair with that assumption. Moments later and he was given the vision.

The man called Dean moved past the opening in a tight blue t-shirt and white apron. His hair was light brown and neatly trimmed. His smile seemed out of place in the Roadhouse. It was bright and cheery in the darkness. Cas found himself staring with unabashed interest. Then Dean started singing. Another voice came out of the back, "I'll quit, I swear to God, Dean if you don't stop that." Dean just laughed and tossed something behind him, that Cas couldn't see. He kept singing.

Cas hadn't realized that he was still staring until Dean glanced out the little window into the bar. Their eyes locked and Cas quickly turned away, choosing to gulp down a bit of his beer as a distraction. He took a chance a few moments later and looked back. Dean was still visible; although, he wasn't staring out at Cas now. Cas let his gaze linger again, and when Dean moved to set a plate of food on the window ledge he caught Cas' eye again. His lip curled up into a half grin. He reached over and tapped the little bell signifying that the plate was ready for pick-up.

Cas looked away again, and told himself to focus on his beer. The waitress came and set the food in front of him. "Dean says you're kinda famous."

Cas was startled by her words. "Huh?"

She nodded back to the kitchen and said, "Dean, the cook, he says you're kinda famous."

"I'm not, but, uh, thanks I guess." The woman wandered off to the bar, and Cas picked up the cheeseburger. It was almost too big. _I'm gonna need a bigger mouth._ He squeezed it down a little and took a bite. It was so much better than he had expected. The meat was seasoned with a hint of cumin, some garlic, and had a nearly crisp outer layer made from what he decided was BBQ sauce that had been applied before the meat met the grill. Even the sauce was something worthy of note. He chewed the bite with careful attention to detail. He thought that there was lemon pepper, and maybe honey in the mix. He took another bite and felt his eyes roll back into his head with the ecstasy of it.

This bit of nirvana was his for nearly ten minutes. He tried not to rush through the joy of the meal. Instead each bite was treated as a gift, and also a mystery to be unravelled. He wasn't sure, but he thought that the pickles were made in-house. He had not expected such attention to detail in a place like this. As he finished the last bite, a shadow fell over his table. "So, how was it?"

Cas glanced up at the cook. He felt suddenly self-conscious. He was normally rather confident, even a bit of a badass, but the months with Katja, and the losses that came from Uriel leaving had taken some of that out of him. He found his voice though. "So good. It might be my new favorite thing."

"Cheeseburgers, huh? Guess you don't serve those in your place." Dean took the bench seat across from him without invitation. Then seeming to sense a rudeness, he asked, "Oh, you mind?"

"Not at all. You know who I am?" Cas leaned back from the plate a little.

"Yeah, you own Novak's. I read the reviews that come out whenever a new place pops up. It always interests me. I recognized you from the picture that they ran with the piece." Dean's eyes darted over to the bar. He gave the waitress a little wave, and she gave him a little nod in return.

"You've got a good memory. That was over a year ago. Have you tried the place out?" Cas picked up his beer and took a sip. It was nearly done and he wondered if he should order another.

The waitress set a beer in front of Dean. It was the color of Dean's hair. _Hoppy_ , Cas thought as he noted the type. Dean took a sip of the beer and said, "Haven't been able to afford your place yet. It's on my bucket list." He smiled across the table at him, and Cas felt it stir through him.

"Well, I happen to know the owner, and if you wanted to try out a dish, I'd likely be able to get you in at a discounted rate." _What am I doing?_ He felt the old confidence though filling him up, and he was liking it.

Dean replied, "I might just take you up on that; although, seems like you kinda put a lot of effort into the whole experience. I should probably just save up and try the whole thing out."

"Pretty sure I can arrange for that." He thought about the unpleasant things that he still needed to deal with there and his face fell a little. "I reckon you should probably wait about a month though until I work out the staffing issues. I feel like I'm not exactly doing my best work there lately."

Dean's face conveyed a bit of sympathy. "Bummer. Well, if you're hiring, I know some good people that could use a leg up. Place like yours would be a great place for them."

"Well, I'm still looking for a general manager to run the front of the house, someone good with numbers and such. Also, I have this sous chef that is a nightmare." Cas looked around the room as if Katja might materialize at any moment.

"You need a sous chef," Dean smiled at him as he said it past his beer.

"Yeah, I need a sous chef," Cas replied.

Dean laughed a little. "We just had a little _Star Wars_ moment there."

"Yeah, too bad you don't need work. Your burger was sublime." Cas picked up a french fry and traced a line through some ketchup before eating it.

"Well that's a first. Nobody ever called my food that before." Dean seemed to become suddenly shy. He drank his beer and slowly set it back on the table in front of him.

"Dean." He waited for eye contact and was rewarded. "Don't you know your food is amazing? I mean, this is literally the best thing I've eaten in, well, I don't even know how long."

"That's doubtful, but thanks anyway. I'm a short order cook, a fry cook. I'm nothing special. Anyone can do this." He ran a hand back up through his hair and looked away again.

"No, Dean. What you have here is something worthy of being savored. Your efforts with something that could have been a simple burger, speak to your love of food. You've done good things here, and I for one, plan to come back often for just this." He tapped the side of the plate and smiled at Dean's surprised expression.

Cas got up then and pulled a twenty and some ones out of his wallet. He set them on the table near his plate. It was getting pretty late, and he was going to suffer for his evening come morning. Didn't matter though, as he'd do it again for that meal. And the company wasn't half bad either.

* * *

He didn't go in on Saturday, but he made a solid commitment to himself to go in on Sunday night. Sundays were his sweet spot. He could sleep in a little the next morning; he didn't though, and he could let his mind think of pleasant things without interruption. Even Sunday morning was rather joyous for him, because he had already decided that the evening would end at the Roadhouse. He wondered if Dean worked that night. _Suppose I'll find out._

Cas had found his thoughts wandering often to the meal he had that night, to the nuanced flavors coaxed into the meat, to the obvious love poured into making a meal the way that it should be made. He wanted to try other meals made by Dean, but he also just wanted to order another cheeseburger. Sunday passed swiftly. Katja was awful, but not unbearable. He tuned her out for the most part and sailed through the night.

When they finally closed, he delegated tasks to his employees and headed out. It wasn't like him. He would normally linger, leave after everyone else had ventured out. He was done though, so done. He felt the brisk night air on his face and sucked in a deep cool revitalizing breath of air. He got to the Roadhouse and slowed his last few steps. The door opened and a couple moved out to the sidewalk and away from Cas. It set him in motion again. He propelled himself to the door and inside.

There was a jukebox in the corner playing old 80's rock. It hadn't been playing the last time that he had been there, but it was loud enough to make up for that tonight. He made a beeline for his corner table. He had already started thinking of it as his. He glanced over at the kitchen, looking for Dean through the opening. He didn't see Dean, but he could hear the unmistakable sound of his singing mixing with the hard fast tunes coming from the jukebox. Cas smiled and took a seat.

The waitress from the other night came to his table and asked if he wanted a menu. Cas glanced over at the kitchen and saw Dean move past the opening. "Just a cheeseburger and a beer," he replied.

"The stout, right?" she asked as she turned toward the bar.

"Yep. Thanks." Cas pulled out his phone and brought up his menu for the next week. He considered some modifications to his offerings. He had a parmesan foam on one item, and he was frankly over it. Everybody and their brother seemed to be making everyday foods into foams now. He wanted to steer clear of that. He started to delete the item and then glanced back at the kitchen again. There was another man in the kitchen. He was standing alongside Dean singing to whatever was pounding out of the jukebox. He had a lovely voice. His southern drawl edged each syllable. Cas found himself smiling when Dean joined him on the next verse, too loud and way off key.

The other man stopped singing at one point, but he wasn't upset. He knocked his shoulder into Dean goodnaturedly and went back to whatever he was doing. Dean looked up when that happened and caught Cas' eye. He said something to the guy next to him. Now they were both looking at him. Cas gave them both a little wave and felt glad for the distraction that the waitress provided when she returned with his beer. "Bet you didn't know you were getting entertainment with your meal this evening." She seemed less harried this evening than she had the other night.

"Nothing about this place was expected." Cas took a sip of the beer.

"Yeah, it's got its fans. You fixin' to become a regular?" She smiled.

"Well, like I told Dean the other night, the burgers alone are worth the price of admission. He's quite talented." Cas looked past the waitress to the back again.

"Yeah, we all had to hear about that after you left. Boy wouldn't shut-up about it. You give him too many compliments like that, and he'll be asking me for a raise." She thrust out a hand. "Name's Ellen, by the way. This here's my place."

"Oh, I thought you just worked here. Didn't know you owned it too." Cas shook her hand and added, "It's a great place."

"Well, it ain't much to look at, but it has some perks. Been pretty lucky too. Got Dean filling in while Ash is off with his bum knee." She glanced around to see if anyone was needing her.

"So Dean doesn't always work here?"

"He's been here off and on for a while. I'd keep him on permanently if I could, but Ash will be back, and I don't really need that many cooks. Plus, Dean always lands on his feet. His Pops will likely want him back in his little universe, but if I were him, I'd stick to this path. Boy knows what he's doing."

"That's for sure," Cas agreed. Ellen wandered away from him back to the bar and her customers. Cas thought about what she said. Plans were already forming. The song on the jukebox changed, and he glanced toward it. Dean was wandering out of the kitchen. He had a cheeseburger plated in his hand. He was making his way to Cas' booth. When he got to the table and set down the food, Cas said, "So you always deliver the food you cook?"

"Nah, only for the celebrities." He took a seat across from Cas again and gave Ellen a little wave. She nodded and started filling a pint glass of beer.

"Absolutely not a celebrity."

"Better known than I am." Dean grinned.

"Is that the standard of measurement for celebrities? Better known than Dean…" He paused a second, then added, "I don't know your last name."

"Winchester." He reached over and shook Cas' hand as if they hadn't met yet.

"Well, now at least I know the whole name." He looked down at his plate and said, "Well, Dean Winchester, this burger should be famous." He picked it up then and took a bite.

Dean watched him for a bit, and Cas tried not to feel self-conscious about it. Ellen brought his beer and set it on the table. "Ya leave Benny to do all of your clean-up?"

"I took care of my part. Plus, I haven't left yet. Just takin' a little break." Dean's eyes crinkled up a little at the edges as he smiled, and he was certainly smiling at Ellen now. She whipped him with her little counter rag and went around the room wiping off tables.

"Are you supposed to be shutting down the kitchen or something?" Cas asked between bites.

"Not entirely. We just get fewer foodies in here after 10, so we start cleaning up. My kitchen is always clean anyway, so it takes nothing to end the night. Plus, Benny doesn't mind. He'd have done the whole thing when Ash got hurt, but Ellen didn't want to overwork him. Weekends can get busy, as you've seen." Dean drummed at the table a little along with the new song playing on the jukebox.

"What'll you do when Ash comes back? Ellen said something about working with your dad." Cas took another bite from the burger and waited.

"Oh, she say anything else about me when you were talking?" Dean looked suddenly a little nervous.

Cas let his lip curl up into a half grin and said, "A few things."

Color started rise up into Dean's cheeks. "Whatdidshesay?" He ran the words together like one giant mumbled bit of mush.

"Oh nothing really, just that you went on and on about some things after I left. Told me not to compliment your food too much. Said you might ask for a raise." Cas smiled at the effect his words had. The song on the jukebox noticeably changed then. They both turned to it, and the guy from the kitchen, Benny, was standing there, grinning like he had done something mischievous.

"Shit, Benny." Dean pressed his palms to his eyes and shook his head. The song, "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" started playing. Dean was rolling his eyes. He turned to Cas and said, "They think they're funny."

Cas didn't know what to say to that. He watched Benny reach out a hand to Ellen, and she moved to him. He danced with her in the empty space in front of the jukebox. A couple of the customers hooted and whistled. Benny gave her a needless dip, as the song was really too slow for any of that. Benny hollered over at Dean, "Ya gonna make us be the only ones dancing in here?"

"This ain't a dancing bar Benny," Dean hollered back. He looked back at Cas and added, "They're a hoot."

"Yeah, Ellen seemed nice. I'll have to take your word for it on Benny." Cas finished off the last bite of his burger and let the flavor linger in his thoughts. "You changed a spice in the burger."

"You can tell?" Dean tipped his head to the side with a grin. He hadn't really stopped smiling since he got to the table except for that one moment when he asked what Ellen had been saying about him.

"I am a celebrity after all. I know my food." Cas laughed a little as he said it. Dean laughed too.

"So, is the offer still on the table from the other night?" Cas tried to recall what he had offered the other day and was drawing a blank. Dean seemed to see the confusion and added, "I mean if I stop by maybe sometime around the end of the week to try out a dish at Novak's, would that be okay?"

Cas considered his bookings and knew that he had nothing that he could move around to accommodate Dean. "I'm booked up solid for the next month, but if you don't mind an incredibly late meal, I could make that work easily."

"Oh, I don't want to put you out. I was just thinking…"

Cas interrupted him then, "You're not putting me out. I offered. What day were you thinking?"

"Sunday, maybe. With Benny here, I'm not needed quite as much, so I can jump out a little early." Dean ran a hand back up into his hair. "You still having issues with your sous chef?"

"Many." He let out a long held sigh. "Hopefully, I can get her figured out by then. Either way, she won't be there after hours, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"So if I pop in say around 10:30, that would be okay?" Dean took a sip of his beer, and something in the action seemed like he was covering for nervousness.

Cas just smiled at him a beat, leaned in, and said, "Bring your appetite." His voice was low and a bit gravely. Dean swallowed his beer audibly.

"Will someone be around the front to let me in?" Dean set down his beer and moved his hands to the underside of the table.

"I'll keep an eye out for you. Hmm…" Cas rummaged around in his pockets for a piece of paper. He didn't have any. "Got a cell phone?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I add my contact info.?" Cas held out his hand for the phone. Dean leaned to the side and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He turned it on and swiped his finger over the front. He took a few more moments and then handed the phone over, the screen already set to the contact page.

"Should I text you after so you have my information as well?"

"Of course. I was pretty much going to do it on your behalf as soon as I was done entering my information anyway." Cas glanced up and caught Dean's look. He seemed surprised. _Was that the look? Shocked? Confused._ Whatever it was, Cas couldn't quite get a read on what he was seeing. "Having you text me though, means that I get to watch you awkwardly try to figure out what to message someone while they are sitting a mere two feet away."

He handed the phone back over, and Dean's hand seemed to shake a little as he snatched it back.

"Hey it's Dean Winchester," Dean said aloud as he typed in the words, hitting send at the end. "How's that for awkward?"

Cas' phone buzzed with the new message. It read, _Hey Assbutt._ Cas looked up at Dean then and caught the half grin on Dean's face as he got up from the table. "Hey Assbutt?"

"You wanted awkward." Dean shrugged. He moved off toward the kitchen then turned back and said, "Looking forward to Sunday."

"Me too." Cas had plans. He thought of adding, it's a date to his _me too,_ but that didn't go along with his plans, just his momentary desires. What he was really thinking was that he could test Dean out, see just what he was capable of.


	2. Chapter 2

The week flew by. Cas managed to pop in at the Roadhouse twice that week, but Dean hadn't been working. He tried out a couple of other items from the menu, and found them to be good, but not great. Then it was Sunday, and Cas had firmly decided that he was going to let Katja go. He was willing to take a chance again. He had spoken with Charlie off and on during the week and had heard that Katja was stepping up her efforts toward intimidation. The final straw was when she "forgot" to put in the order for Charlie's phyllo dough. Charlie's entire dessert plan had to be changed on the fly, but she handled it. After all, Charlie was a professional.

Cas kept watching the clock. The doors would be opening in half an hour. The kitchen staff was already bustling around, doing their last minute prep work. Katja was yelling at one of the dishwashers, something about how she expected her plates to be ready well in advance of her needs. The night prior, she had gotten down to a stack of fifteen plates. She never wanted the stack to diminish to less than twenty. This was a fine expectation, but the way that she conveyed her wishes sounded like Joan Crawford declaring _no more wire hangers._ It was needlessly shrill and mean.

Cas moved toward Katja and the dishwasher, a young kid named Alex. "Hey Alex."

Katja stopped her ranting, and Alex replied, "Hey, Chef."

"Why don't you head on back and get ready for tonight. I'm sure that we won't have any issues with the plates tonight." He gave the guy a smile and nod. Alex scurried off quickly before he could be called back by Katja.

He turned back to Katja then and she was glaring daggers at him. "You have undermined my authority." She loomed large as she said it.

Cas didn't back down. It was Sunday, and he had declared this day a day of revolution. "I most certainly did."

Katja moved toward him. It was an intimidation move. Cas did not back down. "How do you expect me to run the kitchen if you keep getting in the way?"

"First off, it's my kitchen. Second, you answer to me. How do you expect me to run my kitchen, when you disrespect me openly, abuse my employees, and take no time to listen to anyone's needs but your own?"

Katja practically growled as she shoved past him toward the fridge. _Not the most graceful escape._ Cas thought as he moved to his station. He noticed that some of the employees had been subtly listening. The ones nearest to him looked pleased. Kevin wandered over and said, "You know, we all would chip in if need be to help out while you looked for a new sous chef. Just saying." Cas looked at him sideways and caught the smile that curled up at the edges of his lips.

"I know. I just don't want to put you all in a tight spot. I know you and Charlie did not enjoy filling in the last time."

"Enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than this." Kevin shrugged and started cutting the sunchokes into smaller pieces for the fricassée that they would be making that night. There would be artichokes and crosnes. Cas hoped that the customers would not view the crosnes with concern. Those that had yet to experience a crosnes might think at first glance that it was some sort of bug larvae. His intention when picking the tuber for this dish was to pair three similar items, the artichoke, the sunchoke, and the crosne with some herbs, olives and a barigoule sauce. He explained the dish to Kevin, and was met with enthusiasm. Kevin liked the vegetarian dishes and had worked hard to elevate the dish from what Cas had first proposed. In the end they were both pleased with the outcome. Even Katja couldn't complain about the layers of flavors that Kevin had coaxed from the dish.

Katja came back to her station, noticeably rough. She tossed some pans and other items onto the stainless steel countertop with as much noise as was possible. Kevin moved a little closer to Cas and kept working on his dish. _He could handle the sous chef job for a night or two._ Cas thought again as he considered just letting Katja go right then. He glanced up at the clock though and remembered that he had other plans, better plans, Dean plans. _Four and a half more hours._ It felt like forever and no time at all.

The restaurant opened and the mad rush of a full evening descended upon them all. Katja had her dishes to prepare, and so did Cas. Occasionally, they would each make the rounds to check on the others. When Katja did it, there was yelling. She tried to raise her voice to Charlie, and Charlie just ignored her, wandering off to the fridge to end the conversation. An hour into the night and Cas decided to try to have a private word with her. She was bruleeing the tops of her small pots de creme. The semi-translucent chocolate shells forming on the tops made Cas grin at the thought of cracking them. He waited for her to finish before talking.

She glanced up at him, shutting off her torch as she did so. "Hey, Chef."

"Hey Charlie." He cast a glance through the opening between the kitchen and the front of the house. It looked good. Anna's presence at the front of the place seemed welcoming and also quite right. He turned his attention back to Charlie and said in a low voice, "Just wanted you to know that this is Katja's last night, so if you wanted to get her a going away present or anything your time is limited to…" He looked over at the wall clock and continued, "two hours and twenty-seven minutes."

Charlie's face looked like it was going to split from so much smiling. She hugged him then. "Just so you know, this makes us besties now. I was starting to think you hated me and wanted me to suffer."

"Never. Sorry it took so long." He glanced around and added, "Keep this between us. I'd like to end the night as peaceably as possible."

"Who did you hire?"

"Now that's something I hope to take care of between now and Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed for me, otherwise I might have to temporarily promote Kevin again. Pretty sure he might come to hate me, if I throw him into the full fire again."

"He'd be great if he stopped overthinking it all. Might do him some good," Charlie mused.

"Well, I have a better plan, I think. I'll let you know once I'm successful." He turned to head back to his station, and halfway there he turned and waved at her with a smile. She beamed back at him and returned to her tasks.

Katja had taken over Kevin's dish. He was standing pointlessly off to the side while she fried the chokes. "Is there a problem with the dish?" Cas asked as he started working on his Wagyu beef that had sufficiently rested at this point.

"Kevin is an imbecile," she said without looking up. Kevin wiped his hands on his apron and began removing it.

"Well, I think this imbecile is done. It was nice working with you Cas. See you around." He got the top of the apron off, before Cas stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

"Wait." He turned to Katja then. "Katja." She didn't look at him while she worked. She didn't reply either. "Katja, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

She turned to him then. "What was that?"

She looked like she could do some damage. She puffed up her short frame to something taller than seemed physically possible. "I said, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I won't be needing your services anymore."

She moved closer to him. "I think you should reconsider that."

"No, I think that we've all suffered enough. Plus, I won't be having my employees feeling like they have to quit, because that's preferable to working with you." Cas pulled himself up to his full height, which was rather large. His brown hair a wild mess from the work, eyes harsh blue glints sparked out at her.

She yanked her apron off and tossed it at his face. "I expect my paycheck now." Cas had already planned for this moment and had her final paycheck in his pocket. He pulled it out and handed it over to her. It covered her time above and beyond what she would be working that night. He didn't want any drama once the termination was done. She looked down at the numbers and seemed to be calculating it. "You had this prepared in advance." Her tone was almost questioning.

"I did. I thought that we'd make it to the end of the night, but I never intended to make it past that." Cas waited, wondering if this would be it. It all seemed like the moment was on the precipice of something much more violent. Despite that he was rather unprepared for what happened next though. She drew her arm back and clocked him in the jaw.

He reeled back against the back counter. A clatter of pans rang out in protest as his body knocked some of them onto the floor. He followed them to the floor, but didn't lose consciousness. She hovered for a moment, as if he might return the attack. Several employees moved into their space. Alex came over and stood at his side. Kevin moved closer too. Then Charlie was there and several others too. Charlie said, "I'll be calling the police if you don't leave immediately. I'll likely do it even if you do leave, just to spite you."

Katja glared at her, but she didn't respond except to storm out the back door. Kevin reached down to Cas and pulled him up to his feet. "Alex, pull the chokes." He waved at the pan behind him. He looked back over his shoulder and added, "Tommy, see if you can do the plating on the beef there. I'll check it before it goes out." Then he turned to Cas. "You okay?"

Charlie was brushing back his hair a bit and examining his jaw. "You might need to ice that."

"I'm good. Maybe need to just step out of the kitchen for a sec to catch my breath. You all think you can handle this for a few minutes?" Cas moved off toward his office.

"We got it boss," Kevin replied. "Thanks for taking that one for the team there."

"Anytime. Next time I'll hire someone with a weaker right hook." Cas moved out of the room, cradling his jaw as he did so. He was glad it was over, but he was certain that this was going to leave a mark. He noted the time as he entered his office. The clock proclaimed that he had two hours, twelve minutes until closing. He was even more eager for it now, and even more eager for his plans to unfurl soon after. _I hope Dean wants this._

* * *

When closing time finally came, Cas was already prepping the meal that he would have with Dean. He was celebrating. _Ding dong the witch is dead..._ he thought. He had Charlie set aside two of her chocolate desserts for him. When she asked why, he said, "reasons," and left it at that. He was hoping that they would all be gone by 10:30, but some of them might still be working on cleaning up the back. The bar still had a couple of patrons, lingering over the dregs of their drinks, but they'd be gone soon enough.

Anna was helping to set the last of the tables along with one of the young busboys. She seemed to be happy doing just about any job, even the ones that most hosts or servers would deem beneath them. He liked her, and counted himself lucky for taking a chance on her. He looked around the dining room. One end of the space branched off from the main room into a kind of recess from the larger space. It was darker than the main room and was often requested by couples hoping for a more intimate spot for their meal. Most of the servers hoped to be assigned these tables as the couples there tipped a bit better than most. They also ordered the pricier alcohols.

Cas picked out one of those tables and set an open bottle of chardonnay near it. He figured opening it now would give it enough time to breathe. He roamed back to the kitchen and began plating the first course. He hoped that Dean would be punctual. He supposed that his punctuality would be part of the overall test.

The salad that he was prepping had golden beets and arugula. That mix of items was common enough. What made it special was the little extra touches. He had made small dumpling croutons out of a mix of herbed goat cheese wrapped in a thin dough he had made the night before. He added a small dusting of crushed pecans that had been sugared and then pounded into submission. He used them to add sweetness, but also a nice layer of buttery crunch to the salad. The dressing would wait. It was a puree of raspberries, lemon, and vinegar among other things.

He went back out to the front of the house. The bar was clear now, and Anna and the busboy were done. Anna was putting on her coat to leave. "Night Cas. See ya Tuesday." She smiled at him as she said it.

"Night Anna. Thanks." She reached for the door, and on the other side was Dean.

"Whoa. Sorry." He stepped back a bit and stared at her.

"No prob. We're closed though." She gave him her brightest smile.

"It's fine, Anna. Dean was expected." Cas moved to her side and held the door open so she could go and Dean could come in.

"Hey, Cas."

"Hello, Dean." Cas gave him a nod to encourage him into the restaurant. "Night Anna." She tossed back a smile and walked out.

"Am I too early?" Dean asked as Cas lead him to the table.

"Not a bit. I just got the salads together. Have a seat and I'll fetch them."

"Let me help."

"No. You sit and enjoy." Dean seemed to take the seat reluctantly. Cas darted off to the kitchen. He quickly dressed the salads and brought them out to the table.

He took his seat and said, "Hope you find it acceptable. The next course will be a Pacific Yellowtail with a navel orange emulsion. I've skipped some of the courses as I knew that putting them together on my own would be rather time-consuming. So this is an abbreviated menu. It should still be filling though." Cas paused a moment and watched as Dean tasted the salad. He had speared one of the little goat cheese croutons along with a small beet piece and some arugula. Cas was pleased that he would get all of the flavors in one bite.

Dean's eyes closed as the food hit his tongue. He let out a small contented moan. "This is magic."

"That's one way to describe goat cheese." Cas smiled at the description.

"You used garam masala in the dough?" Dean had his eyes open now as he concentrated on the bite and the answer that Cas would give him.

"Yes, but not much. I'm surprised you could taste it." Cas ate a few bites of his own salad and Dean worked through his own.

"And what's the pepper in the dressing?"

"I'd tell you, but you'd have to be an employee first and then sign a NDA."

"Really?"

"No, but I'd like to hear you guess."

"Fresno Red. Dried I think, or maybe roasted and then pureed into the dressing. It's mild though, and they're usually a little stronger than this. Guess the cooking of it could knock it down a peg or two." Dean scooped up another bite and then nodded over to the wine.

"Oh, sorry. Should have poured that right off." Cas filled their glasses and returned the bottle to its place. "I'm impressed with your guess work. It is a Fresno Red. I did roast it. I removed some of the seeds to keep it from adding too much heat. I did want a little kick to the dressing though, and I'm a fan of mixing unexpected flavors."

"It's very, very good." Dean ate the last bite a few moments later and took a sip of his wine. "This is very good as well."

"Well, you enjoy that for a few minutes while I retrieve the next course." Cas got up and headed off for the kitchen. He had the next plate mostly prepped already. He just needed to put some finishing touches in place. One of the finishing touches was the navel orange emulsion. As he was preparing it, he heard a noise at his back. He turned and saw Dean standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, got bored. Plus I wanted to see the kitchen." The only staff that remained were the few guys that were wrapping up the dishwashing and mopping the back. Dean came closer. "Is this the orange emulsion?"

"Will be." Cas smiled as he added the emulsion to the top of the fish. It was a bright, frothy, sunshine orange color. He worried that it had been too vibrant the first time that he made it, but he got over it. Praise came back to the kitchen for this dish. He had been called out to meet some customers that had wanted to compliment him personally. That had been nice.

"Can I help with anything?" Dean offered, and Cas couldn't help but think what a delight it would be working with someone like Dean.

"Here." He passed over the other plate and the emulsion. "I'll pull the steak to rest, so it'll be ready for when we get to that course."

"Steak?"

Cas opened the oven and pulled out the Wagyu beef. He had a sauce and several accompaniments, but he merely intended to let the meat rest while they ate their fish and the next course. "This is a Japanese Wagyu, charcoal grilled. I allowed it to rest a little in the oven with a bit of the sauce that I'll add yet again before serving. We'll have this after the risotto course."

"You had me at steak," Dean quipped. Cas looked at his handy work with the emulsion. "Okay?"

"Absolutely." Cas picked up his plate and Dean followed him back out to the dining room. "What's the best thing you've ever eaten?"

Dean took his seat again and said, "Pretty sure it's gonna be Japanese Wagyu."

Cas laughed at him. "Likely not. You don't get your skills without having some marvelous meals."

Dean's look became a bit more serious. "My meals have been much more pedestrian. I'm not a rich man, Cas. Give me a hot dog or burger any day, and I'm a happy guy."

"So the best thing you ever ate was a burger then?"

"No, it was a pecan pie my mom made one Christmas. With her angel pie taking a close second."

"So you kinda have a thing for pie then?"

"I suppose I do." Dean lifted a flaky piece of the Yellowtail to his mouth and took his first bite.

Cas watched eagerly for a tell-tale reaction. Dean's eyes closed again. "Is it okay?"

"Better than I could have imagined."

"How does it stack up against pie."

Dean cracked open his eyes again. "Cas, literally everything I eat tonight will likely be better than anything I've ever tasted. This is…" Dean paused as he seemed to search for the right word. "Sublime." He grinned at his pronouncement.

Cas smiled back. "Thanks, Dean." His food was complimented often, but somehow, this compliment from Dean meant something more.

* * *

He secretly wished that he had thought of pie for dessert. Charlie's desserts were marvelous, but now that he knew of Dean's love of pie, he wanted to offer up that. _Maybe it is good that I didn't know though. The pies were his favorite because his mom made them._ Cas got up from the table and headed off to the kitchen for dessert and coffee.

Dean wore a look that seemed utterly satisfied. The moans of contentment that had poured from him with each bite of the Wagyu should have been illegal. Cas had a hard time concentrating on his own food. He considered how he would carry the desserts and the coffee in order to make the whole thing arrive in one trip.

"Want a hand?" Dean was at his side. He jumped a little. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. I just figured, you'd have your hands full." Cas handed him the desserts and marveled at how Dean had practically read his mind. He was growing even more certain with each passing moment that Dean was the exact right man for the job.

"Thanks, Dean." He poured the coffee into two small mugs and in his other hand grabbed the cream and sugar containers. It was a little awkward holding all of those items in one hand with the coffee in the other.

Dean seemed to pick up on the issue and shifted the desserts to one hand and took the creamer from Cas. "Now, let's put this meal to rest." Dean strolled off ahead of Cas back to the dining room. Cas followed close behind him, eyes trailing over the view that was in front of him. Dean was wearing a tight fitting grey tee and dark blue jeans. He had been wearing a dark jacket when he had first arrived, but now nothing was obscuring the view of muscular biceps clearly capable of some heavy lifting. Cas let his mind wander over images of Dean lifting things and maybe people, maybe him.

He shook his head as they approached the table. _Focus._ He had a mission this evening and distracting thoughts were not helping. He did let his eyes sweep over the full work of art that was Dean Winchester once more though before he settled into his seat. They ate in silence for a bit. Well, Dean wasn't exactly silent. They didn't talk, but Dean seemed incapable of containing the little noises that rumbled out of him with each bite. "This," he pointed with his fork at the empty bowl, "this is phenomenal."

"I'll have to pass the word on to Charlie. She's amazing." Cas smiled around his last bite, savoring the flavor as he slowly drew the fork back out of his mouth over his lips. Dean watched him, eyes a little foggy with the pleasure of a full meal and perhaps something more.

"In case I didn't say so before, thanks for this." Dean leaned back into his seat and drew the cup of coffee to his lips. It looked small there between his hands.

"It's the first time I've enjoyed a meal in my restaurant in some months. So I think that I should thank you instead for making it happen." Cas set down his fork and drank his coffee now. He wondered when it would be okay to share his plan.

"Well since you view it that way, maybe I should make a point of helping you out with this eating more often. I mean, you know, to be helpful and all." He leaned forward a little, setting down his coffee on the table. He let his one arm drape over the edge. Cas let himself enjoy the view.

"I had some plans involving just that."

"Really?" Dean leaned a bit more into the the table space between them. His eyes were flecked with the golden light of the candle that flickered on the table. Cas leaned into the table space too. The moment felt intimate and Cas thought that it could stand to be more so, if the table weren't getting in the way. Dean reached out and touched Cas's cheek, running his fingers down to his jawline. "How'd you get this?"

Cas was frozen in the moment and needed a second to realize that an actual question had been asked. "What?"

"The bruise on your jaw."

"Oh, I maybe fired my sous chef." Cas looked away, and Dean's fingers fell from his face.

"She hit you?" He sounded utterly shocked.

Cas looked back, "Yeah. At least she's gone. I'd kinda managed to forget about it over the course of dinner." Cas tried to smile through the moment.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it probably looks worse than it feels." Cas felt the awkwardness stirring around inside him. He wondered if it would be possible to have the best of both worlds, a world where Dean brushes his fingers over his face, and a world where he works alongside him making dinners six nights a week.

Dean seemed to see Cas' need to change paths. "So, you said you had plans where I was concerned?"

"So many," Cas muttered toward the table.

"What was that?" Dean asked.

"I need a sous chef." Cas looked back up at him. Choosing this path was safe.

"You need a sous chef?" Dean repeated, a question buried in the tone.

"Yes. If I offered you a job, would you consider taking it?" Cas watched Dean's expression shift through a sea of thoughts.

"Are you asking me to be your sous chef?" Dean looked like he really wasn't believing it.

"Yes."

"I'm not really much in the restaurant scene, but I'm pretty sure you have to vet someone a bit before you go offering them a job like this. I mean, seriously Cas, you own one of the top restaurants in the city. You could have your pick."

"Yep, and I'm offering the job to you."

"How do you know that we'd work well together, or that I can even handle this?" Dean waved his arm back toward the kitchen, his tone a little higher than before.

"I've been quietly testing you out during dinner. Mostly I've just observed you. I believe, wholeheartedly, that you have all of the skill that I would need. You are intuitive. You anticipate my needs before I even realize them myself. Your creativity in your own cooking, back at the Roadhouse, is positively inspiring. You are humble, and calm. My kitchen needs someone like you, especially after the mess that was Katja, the sous chef from Hell." Cas folded his hands together almost like he was praying for the right answer. "So what do you say, Dean? Will you take the job?"

"I make burgers, Cas. Not this." He looked down at the now empty dessert plate as he said it. "I'm not what you need here. I'd be absolutely lost. I'd fail you, and I don't think I want to do that."

There was something rather sad in the way that Dean had spoken. Cas worried about pushing him. He really wanted this though. "Dean, you'd be doing me a solid. I've interviewed twenty people in this past month alone. None of them felt right. You've felt right since day one. Look, I could have my pick as you say. And I'm hoping that I get to have my pick as you are the one that I want." _Well, coulda said that better._ Dean looked at him, a hint of color rising up his neck and into his cheeks.

"So this whole dinner, you've been testing me?" _So that's the thing he focuses on? Odd._

"Yes."

"This whole dinner was a test?" The tone of the question was different this time, almost too quiet in its asking.

Cas didn't answer immediately. He tried to read Dean's expression, wondering what he wanted to hear. Cas ran his hand back up into his hair, a nervous gesture. He knew the moment he was done, that he had now managed to mess up his normally neat appearance. Dean watched the movement. A small smile tickled at the edges of his lips. Cas smiled back. He chose to answer then. "It was the most enjoyable test I've ever given, and I hope that you will take the job so that I can continue testing you. I believe that you will do great things here Dean Winchester. Tell me you'll take the job."

"Yes, Chef. I'll take the job." There was a note of affection in the response, a dash of humility, and a sprinkle of sweetness. Cas felt relief with the words. "So when do you want me to start?"

"Tomorrow?" Cas knew that was a bit soon, but he really needed Dean like yesterday.

Dean got up from the table then and so did Cas. "I should head home then to sleep. I have a feeling I might need to be fully functional if I work here." He started scooping up the plates and silverware. Cas took the cups and wine glasses. They left them off in the dishwasher's station for the crew to deal with tomorrow. They walked out to the dining room again. Dean walked close to him, their arms brushing with each step. "I need to let Ellen know. She won't be put out by my abrupt departure, but I should let her know just the same. If she feels like she really needs me on Tuesday, would you be able to spare me for just that night?"

"I'll figure it out if I must. I'd rather have you here though. Tuesdays are nearly as busy as all the other nights. We're booked solid every night, but I choose to take fewer reservations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays." Cas opened the front door for Dean. Dean did not move out of it right away. He grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack.

"Then I'll just make sure that I'm here tomorrow and all the days after too. You really sure about this?"

Cas reached out and took his hand and shook it. "I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I am with your acceptance. I'm entirely sure." He let Dean's hand go and Dean started to move out the door.

Dean turned back once he was out on the sidewalk. "Hey, you're closed tomorrow."

"Yes."

"So, what're we doing tomorrow?" Dean tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth onto his heels.

Cas smiled at him. He felt his pleasure emanating from him. Mondays were his favorite days. "We'll plan the menus for the week, and we'll shop for food from the locals and the farming community." Dean looked pleased with the plan. "I'm hopeful that you'll find it as enjoyable as I do."

"Should I meet you here?"

"Yeah, let's say around 7:30. I'd normally start earlier, but I also wouldn't normally stay up this late the night before." Cas looked off down the dark street. "You walking?"

"Just to that Impala over there." Dean gestured over at a gorgeous black '67 Impala parked a block away under a street light.

"Now that is some car." Cas had a tone of absolute admiration dripping from his every word.

"That she is."

"I'm feeling like maybe we should not take my beat up van tomorrow."

"I wonder how many baguettes we could fit in there." Dean laughed a little as he began walking backwards toward the car.

"It likely would be a bit much for one car to carry. The trunk area looks like it might be big enough." Cas leaned into the doorway, watching him as he moved along.

"We could decide tomorrow. I'll just clean out all the weapons and dead bodies from the trunk before I show up." Dean grinned, and Cas laughed at him.

"You do that. Night, Dean."

"Night, Cas." Dean turned to his car and whistled a little tune as he walked. Cas watched him the whole way.

* * *

 **AN: Hope you all are liking it so far. Throw a fav or a comment down as they are love:)**


	3. Chapter 3

Monday morning came and with it the delicious thought of a full day in Dean Winchester's company. He didn't know enough about him, but regardless, he wanted to know everything he could. The time spent out getting food for the restaurant would be necessary, but it would also be a pleasure.

He normally enjoyed Mondays immensely. The crisp spring sunlight was already calling to him from the window. He rushed through breakfast and gave himself a second appraisal in front of the hall mirror. He took in the dark blue jeans, a tight fitting black t-shirt, a black jacket with more pockets than would ever be necessary. He found the look passable. He smoothed a hand back up through his hair in an attempt at taming down the wildness. _Time for a haircut._

He picked up his keys and was out the door in three short steps. He considered the season and the menu options that would go with the appropriate items that he would find at each stop. His mind was a whirlwind of possibilities. He wondered if Dean would have anything to contribute. He hoped that he would. _Dean_. He had thought the name seven hundred times at least since he had woken up that morning, and probably a few hundred more before he slept.

He considered what it would be like working with him. He considered a great many other things too. He considered the way Dean moved, like he was perpetually hearing music in his head. He considered the way his face expressed his thoughts, an eyebrow raised just so and a subtle smirk. He considered the way his hands looked on the table, around his coffee cup, hanging at his side. They were strong hands, fingers itching to touch something. The feel of Dean's fingers on his cheek the night before still lingered in his memory.

He got to the restaurant without a thought for the world that passed by outside of the van's windows. If pressed, he wouldn't be able to tell about even one thing that he saw between his house and the restaurant. He _could_ tell you about the paths between Dean's freckles, the way his eyes looked in the dimly lit restaurant, and the exact hue of his lips as Dean's tongue grazed a path over them.

He pulled up to the side of the restaurant and saw that Dean's Impala was already parked in front. Dean was outside leaning back against the side, reading something on his phone. Cas strolled over, convincing himself that they really should take Dean's car and not his van. It was hideous really, and he was actually 100% embarrassed by it. Clearly, Dean was a car guy. The Impala was impeccable. The chrome was polished to an intense shine. The black shone brighter than that color had any right to. Cas wanted to feel the pull of a car with a real engine and not the sputtering lag of what he had been driving.

"Hey, Cas." Dean voice was cheery and already brought a smile to his face.

"Hello, Dean." He schooled his tone into something low and gravelly. "If you would like to drive, I'd love to do this in your car. If not, the van will be our chariot." He motioned back to the creature already nearly forgotten in the alley next to the restaurant.

"I'll never turn down a chance to drive." Dean popped off the side of the car and circled to the driver's side. "Hop in and lead the way."

Cas got in and told him the first address. Dean knew the location, a small farmer's market on the other end of town. Cas had items delivered to the restaurant throughout the week, but Mondays were his days of inspiration. He went to the local sources and chatted with the farmers and local vendors. He liked to know that what he served had a point of origin that he could see. True some things couldn't be bought locally, but he tried to make the effort. At the very least his inspirations came from the visits that he made to the local farms and the local vendors.

Cas managed a couple of sidelong glances as they drove. Dean looked happy. His smile bright, a complement to the spring day. _God, he's gorgeous,_ he thought as he redirected his focus to the front and the road ahead of them. In time they made it to the market. Dean rounded a corner and took a parking spot that opened up not far from the entrance. Cas decided to explain the plan for the day as they got out of the car. "So the way we usually do things, is I look for items that will inspire a meal or two this week. If you see anything promising, you should definitely say something. Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated." Cas came around the car to Dean's side and they headed into the vast parking lot full of vendor booths and crowds of early bird shoppers already milling about.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be at this. I usually just pick items from the vendor that Ellen has out to the restaurant."

Cas asked, "You tell her that you're working for me yet?"

"Yeah, this morning."

"How'd that go?" They came to a booth that sold apricots. The vendor held out samples to each of them.

"Great actually. She said that Ash was coming back this week and that my timing was near perfect." Dean slipped the apricot past his lips. A little of the juice of it lingered at the edge of his mouth.

"Glad to hear it." Cas ate his piece and found it to be quite pleasant. He was thinking of what could be done with apricots.

Dean came to some conclusions about the apricot first though. "We should buy these."

"Yeah, you got some plans?"

"So many," Dean's lips curled up into a half grin. Cas couldn't help but feel that he was repeating his tone from the night before, and that Dean had only pretended not to have heard him. He felt heat rising in his face and looked away at some other items.

"What would you do with the apricots?"

"Maybe a chutney, not sure. They're really quite good though. Worse comes to worst, you could have your pastry chef whip something up with them."

Cas turned his attention back to Dean then to the vendor. "Hey Margie, you mind sending over about ten pounds of these to the restaurant, and giving us a bag to take now?"

"You got it Cas. I'll send Bill with the invoice. You can settle up then. You got someone to receive these later tonight?" Her small frame came with a voice that was a little grating. Cas had grown use to it though.

"Yeah, Kevin's there 'til four. Have Bill call if it's locked up."

"Will do, Cas." She passed over a small bag of apricots, and Cas thanked her.

Cas handed Dean an apricot and he took one for himself. They ate and walked, sucking the juice from their fingers as they went.

There was a large display of vegetables in a booth at the end of the row. Cas moved into the space and let his fingers dance over the various offerings. "Oh, Mr. Novak, a pleasure to see you again." A large man made his way around to the front of the display. He pulled Cas into a hug. His tan shirt made him seem to be practically nude. He turned to Dean then with a wide grin on his face. "And who is this?"

"This is Dean Winchester, my new sous chef." Cas waved a hand toward Dean, "And this is Herb." Herb was already pulling Dean into an unexpected hug.

"What's happening? Uh, Cas." Dean stuttered past the rib crushing hug. "I don't like this."

"Nobody likes it. It's just how Herb shakes hands." Cas laughed a little at the moment.

Herb stepped back with the big grin still stuck on his face. "You all act like you ain't never been hugged. That's what's wrong with this world, not enough affection." He redirected to the other end of the booth, beckoning Cas over as he went. "Now, these here little broccolis were raised with so much love. Just look at their happy little crowns."

"Cas, I think we just took the short bus to crazytown." Dean was starting to edge away. Cas just leaned into the space that Herb had indicated.

"Those look great. You got any spinach, raised with love of course?" Cas smiled and considered what he would do with the broccoli. _I'll need sea scallops, and maybe some marcona almonds._ His mind drifted down alleys of flavors and then he glanced at Dean lips all pink and wet. He wondered if he tasted like the apricots. _Apricot chutney._ He figured he could pair that with the sea scallops.

Dean came back to his side, his posture conveying his discomfort. "I've got so much spinach. It's all looking pretty good too. Oh, and you need onions. I've got all the onions you'll need."

"You got some ginger?" Dean asked.

"Oh, do I ever. I've got it over in the root section here." He threw an arm over Dean's shoulder and directed him. Dean picked up some of the ginger, and Cas joined him.

"Grab some of the turmeric root too." Cas leaned into his arm.

Dean picked up the right root. Cas smiled. _Man knows his stuff._ "You still testing me?"

"You mind?"

"Not a bit."

"Then yes, yes I am." Dean bumped him a little as Cas answered. It was an affectionate moment, and completely unlike the many hip checks that he and the others had endured under Katja's regime.

They left Herb's booth not long after that with a few bags containing their selections and a scheduled delivery of the rest of the items to follow. They made their way through several more stalls adding items here and there. Everyone knew Cas. He was a regular after all. They headed back to the car, items in hand and prepared to head off to their next destination. "Where we going next?"

"An apiary just outside of town, then to my meat vendor, then a small farm before we head back. Unless you're worn out. I know this is a lot for a first day on the job."

"Worn out? How old do you think I am, Cas?" He plopped on down into the driver's seat and let the door close with an emphatic slam. Cas got in on his side.

"I don't honestly know how old you are. Not old, certainly."

Dean laughed at him. "I'm 36, not dead. Takes a Hell of a lot more than a hippie farmer's market to tire me out."

Cas laughed at him now too. "Well then we'll see how you feel after the hippie bee farm, hippie meat market, and hippie farm and commune."

"Oh. Well, go big or go home. Lead the way to hippie town, Cas." Cas directed him out onto the main highway and to the west. Dean reached over and turned on some music. It was some sort of hard rock. He drummed at the steering wheel as they shot down the road.

Cas rolled down the window and felt the blast of crisp spring air on his skin. He felt exceedingly happy. The signs of the city shot by and gave way to the rolling green pastures and crop rows. The sky above was bright blue and dotted with puffy white clouds. He'd sing with the music if only he knew the words. Instead he drummed at the window frame with his arm angled out into the air that rushed by. Dean shot him a glance and a smile. Cas returned it.

Dean reached over and turned the radio down. "Could I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Cas pulled his arm back into the car.

"Funny." Dean scratched a trail up into his hair. "You have any family?"

"Yeah, everyone comes from somewhere." He turned himself a little in the seat and pulled his knee up between them.

"Is it a sore subject? I mean asking about family bugs some people. I didn't mean to be too personal."

"I've got some siblings, busy people, the whole lot of them. Got a dad that went out for the proverbial smokes when I was younger. Haven't spoken to him since. Mom's interesting. She never seems to approve of my life choices."

"Is that code for being gay?" Dean turned to him with the question then quickly directed his gaze back to the road ahead.

"Not so much. She's more unhappy with the men that I have bothered to introduce to her. I swear, she'd find a way to shoot down every last man on earth, just to have me stay her single child forever. No one will ever be good enough for her. I don't introduce anyone to her anymore, not that there has been anyone to introduce in quite a few years." Cas hadn't meant to share so much and felt a little awkward toward the end. He didn't like Dean thinking that he was a bit of a loser in the dating arena.

"Well, at least she cares, and knows who you are. That matters, even if she's a bit misguided."

Cas felt like Dean was telling him something more in that, so he asked, "So you have some family?"

Dean laughed a bit and parroted Cas with, "Yeah, everyone comes from somewhere."

"Well, tell me about them. I feel like I over shared, and I might need your story now to ease that feeling a bit."

"You didn't overshare. My family is just complicated. My dad's a bit of an alcoholic. Mom died when I was young. I got a brother though. He's a good guy, but don't tell him I said that. Don't need him getting an ego." Dean smiled suddenly with what seemed to be pride and added, "He's a lawyer. Graduated from Stanford. Boy genius."

"Like his brother, huh?" Dean's cheeks grew rosy with the compliment.

"Nothing like me. He's better. Way better. I mean, he has this way of seeing things. He also gets me. It's nice having at least one family member that does." Dean's tone felt a little melancholy then.

"Is _he gets me_ code for he gets that I'm gay?"

"Pretty much. I mean, bi, but yeah. He knows. Dad doesn't get that information. He wouldn't know what to do with it anyway except to treat me like an oddity. I'd rather just not deal with that."

"You date much? I mean, should I figure you'll be asking for Fridays off every now and then?" Cas felt a slight stirring in his gut as he asked the question.

"Nah, I'm a bit out of practice on that front now. I use to get around a bit, but lately if I can get a meal in with someone, I count it as a great accomplishment. Life is busy and I am a little old."

Cas reached over and gave his shoulder a squeeze before saying, "Didn't you literally just say not half an hour ago that you were not old? Last I checked 36 is not old. If it is I'm ancient."

Dean cocked an eyebrow then and asked, "How ancient we talking?"

"Oh, a good millennia or two." Cas laughed and Dean laughed too. "Just turned 40 a few days ago actually."

"Oh, shit, happy birthday old man." Dean reached over now and gave him a light punch to the shoulder, adding, "And so not ancient."

"Well, I feel ancient."

"Mid-life crisis there, Cas."

He laughed, "I'm old. I'm entitled."

"Well, enjoy that. I myself think that the forties might not be so bad. Kinda looking forward to being as old as I feel. I feel like with my forties I can finally yell at kids to get off my lawn and start calling Sam a whipper snapper."

"You're a whipper snapper." Cas laughed at the look he drew from Dean with that, something like a shocked O face. Cas noticed then that they were nearing the apiary. "You're gonna be turning up there at the sign."

"Cain's Bees," Dean read aloud. "You come here every week?"

"Nah, I just need to replenish the honey. I want to use it in the dressing this week. I also have some thoughts on a pork dish. The lavender around his place is blooming heavy, and I think that it'll add a fine layer of flavor to the honey."

"Sounds good. What're you thinking of doing with pork?" Dean asked as they pulled to a stop in front of a big old red barn. A man with a mess of salt and pepper hair was strolling out to them. His loose black pants were held up with a pair of suspenders running up over his white button up shirt.

"Was thinking pork and beans."

"Yeah right." They got out of the car and walked over to the man.

"Hey there Novak."

"Hey yourself, Cain. This here is my new sous chef, Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Cain. He's the bee man."

Dean reached out a hand and the two of them shook. "I reckon you'll be wanting the most recent honey."

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" Cas fell into step beside him and Dean trailed along behind them both.

"Oh, I know you and your penchant for lavender. It's good stuff this month. You'll like it." Cas opened up the barn, and they all strolled in. The sides of the main space was lined with row upon row of jarred honey. They were a golden showcase that could just as easily be called art.

"Wow," Dean whispered behind them as they entered.

"I know, right?" Cas moved to his side and ushered him in with a hand to his back. Dean let himself be led. Cain pulled a jar off of the shelf and held it out to Cas. "You got a spoon out here?"

"You know I do. Give me a sec." Cain disappeared into a side room and came back out with a spoon. "Okay, taste that little bit of heaven and try to tell me you don't want to buy it all."

Cas unscrewed the top and scooped out a small spoonful of the golden substance. He tasted it and felt his eyes close with the bite. "Yes to this." He opened his eyes to Cain grinning wolfishly. "Colette told me not to sell all of it to you. Said she wanted to keep some for her own cooking."

"How's she doing, by the way?"

"Oh, you know, great. Still too good for me, but I'm trying to keep from disappointing her too badly." Cain moved off to the office again and came back out with a crate. He started packing the jars of honey in the crate with a little newspaper added in to protect them during the ride.

Cas handed Dean the honey and said, "You should taste it."

Dean took the spoon from Cas and poured a little of the honey out onto it. He slipped it into his mouth and moaned around the spoon. "Damn good." Cas reached over and took the honey back and screwed the lid back on. Cain finished the packing and sent them off with a promise that they'd get an invoice sent to the restaurant.

Once they were back in the car, Dean said, "I may never eat food the same way again after this."

"Really?" How do you mean." Cas fastened his seatbelt and Dean started back out to the road. Cas directed him with a wave of his hand to the west and Dean went.

"I buy cheap stuff at the market. I don't think I ever go out to places like this for food, but I will now. The flavor is entirely different."

"That it is. Knew you'd like it." Cas was grinning away as they drove. Before they'd finish up with their morning, they'd hit up the meat market and the farm and commune. Cas would fill Dean's car with more vegetables, and a few crates of eggs. His meat guy would just deliver to the restaurant.

Cas had plans for their afternoon too. He wanted to test Dean some more, see what he could do with a whole lot of freedom. The sun was high in the sky now and the air was warm and a little sticky with noontime humidity. They were headed east now, and the restaurant was just a mile or so off. Dean was singing with the stereo. Cas found himself wishing once again that he knew the words to sing along with Dean, but just being like this was fine too.


	4. Chapter 4

They got back to the restaurant and unloaded their supplies. The deliveries had already started showing up. Kevin and some of his other employees were already organizing everything into its places. Charlie strolled in not long after and looked over her station, jotting down items that needed replenishing, and desserts that she intended to make. They rounded the corner with the final items in hand. Cas set the eggs near her with a smile. "Hey, Chef." Charlie smiled back at him.

"Hey yourself, Charlie. Wanna meet the new sous chef?" Cas stepped back a little so Charlie could really see Dean.

She wiped off her hands on her slacks and walked over to him. "Hey, Dean." She reached out, and he shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Dean released her hand and smiled.

"You have much experience?" Charlie leaned back against the counter behind her.

"Not so much. I mean, I've worked a few kitchens in my time, but none like this. I hear I have some big shoes to fill."

"Ha." She turned to Cas and said, "You hired a joker." She turned back to Dean. "You'll be great. Just don't try to knock me over just because you can."

"Dean's not like that. I think you'll like him better than Katja." Cas looked down at her list and asked, "Whatcha got planned for the week?"

"Was thinking of doing up some small candies for each night, a trifle with a toffee tuile, and the rest is still up in the air."

"We have a ton of apricots coming in," Dean said.

"Hmm, that might be useful. You have a bunch of plans for them?"

Dean glanced at Cas then said, "I was thinking maybe we make a chutney to go with something."

Charlie seemed to consider it for a moment. "I might snag some of those then. I could make sabayon with them floating around in the middle. I could brulee the top of it for a little extra color."

"That sounds lovely, Charlie." Cas settled a hand on Dean's back and moved past them. He turned back and added, "Maybe we just have a whole night of apricot dishes."

"I might just sample a little from all the plates, Cas." She turned back to her station and added more to her list.

Cas moved off to his end of the kitchen. His station was meticulously clean and ready for his attentions. He picked up the apricots from where he had set them and handed them to Dean. "Here, make your chutney."

"Uh, now?" Dean took the bag.

"Unless you have something better to do." Cas let his lip curl up in a half grin. "I'd like to try out your version of it and see if I can pair it with something kicking around in my head."

"I'll get right on it, Chef." Dean's tone changed rather starkly with the addition of the word _chef._ All of a sudden he was serious and focused, not the laid back man singing away in the Impala. Cas was fairly certain that all of the items that he would need were in the area. Dean looked around, to acquaint himself with the station and what was available. He began heating a heavy bottomed pan on the stove with some tea seed oil. He made short work of chopping some onions and sending them to the pot. He found some garlic and quickly chopped it as well. He added it and gave the pan a little stir. The sizzle and pop of the items was a lovely music to Cas' ears.

"You've made chutney before?"

"Nope, but I've eaten plenty of it." Dean looked up nervously as he admitted it.

"Oh, well this should be quite interesting then. I'm gonna be over here, working on something. Let me know when you're ready to provide a sample."

"Sure thing, Chef." Dean's look of concentration as he spread out the apricots was somewhat cute. Cas found himself smiling as he strolled around to the other side of the station. He set up his space for the sea scallops that he intended to pair with the chutney, should it prove to be good enough. He already had a backup plan should Dean need one. He chose not to give the plan too much space in his mind though. He had a bit of confidence in Dean and hope that he would be able to accomplish something truly marvelous with his chutney.

* * *

Cas trimmed the side muscle from the scallops and moved them aside. He prepared his pan for them, adding oil and a bit of butter. He sliced a few shallots for good measure and added them to the oil and butter mix. He gently laid the scallops in the sizzling mixture and glanced over at Dean. He was humming as he worked. He was adding the apricots to the pan and stirring. He seemed to be making good progress as the smells were rather lovely.

Dean was working on something else at the same time. Cas watched his skilled knife work as he sliced several fingerling potatoes into smaller bites. He had another pan going with mustard seeds and some thin sliced red onions.

Cas asked across the counter space between them, "What're you making?"

"Oh, just a simple potato salad."

"What would you pair it with?"

"You said you were making pork and beans, if I recall correctly. Seems like you might just need some fancy potato salad to go with it." Dean smiled over at him.

Cas decided that he maybe needed to make the pork and beans item a real thing and not just a joke now. _How to elevate it…_ He watched the way that Dean was cooking, the ingredients that he was pairing. He felt inspired. He gave the scallops some more time in the pan, adding some white wine for flavor. He noted the ingredients that went into Dean's chutney. He found complements for them and added them to the pan. He turned the scallops over and noted with satisfaction, the golden brown sear.

Dean had pulled the chutney and had it in a bowl off to the side. He was now fully concentrating on his potato dish. Cas moved off to the walk-in to get what he thought he'd need for a pork and beans dish. He had received a shipment of pork this morning from one of his local vendors. He mentally debated about whether or not the pork should be the centerpiece of this dish. He had black-eyed peas prepared from the night before, and he considered working out something with them. His vendor had sent along an order of Black Forest bacon, a favorite of his. He liked the crisp peppery edges, the intensity of flavor, and the way that it seemed to work with nearly any dish. _I might be a tad hungry._ He pulled the bacon and the black-eyed peas from the walk-in and went back to his station.

Cas pulled the scallops from the pan, and set them on a long rectangular white plate. He grabbed a new pan and cooked up the bacon. He added the black-eyed peas to a pot with a bit of stock. The peas had already soaked the night before, but he wanted to warm them now and pair them up with the bacon. He gave them a stir, pulled out the bay leaves from the night before, and added fresh ones to the mix. His bacon sizzled away at his side and he hummed a merry little tune. He often hummed classical music, and occasionally that gave way to the random bits of songs from Drake or Rihanna. This earned him looks from some of his employees. He found it amusing that they didn't see him as the type to listen to anything current.

Cas let his mind drift through songs and he settled on _Work_. He sang a little under his breath and moved about stirring his foods and adding to each here and there as the mood hit him. He eventually pulled the bacon and cut it into smaller pieces. He added them to the black-eyed peas and stirred them. He got a plate and imagined the plating. He looked over to Dean's side, still singing his songs. Dean was watching him, but pretended that he wasn't the moment that Cas looked over.

Dean was making a sabayon, or at least that was what Cas thought he was making. "You got a little inspired by Charlie, I see."

"Yeah, I made some once a long time ago, and Sammy said it was good. He's not much of a foodie, but he still goes on about that meal. I swear, I once made him a crummy box mac-n-cheese and the boy swore it was better than anything he ever ate. He was young though, so I guess all kids tend to worship at the altar of Kraft." Dean was concentrating on his sabayon while he told his story. Cas was mesmerized.

"Who is Sammy? I think you mentioned a Sam before."

"Oh, he's my brother. I pretty much raised him. With Dad's issues, it was necessary." Dean's brows knit together a bit. "Sammy's great though. I mean, honestly couldn't ask for a better brother." Dean was now spooning the sabayon over the potato mixture that he had created. Cas could see little nubs of herbs and mustard greens hugging the potatoes. It looked amazing.

He pulled the "pork and beans" and plated them, and added some greens that he had tossed into the bacon fat. Collards always went well with black-eyed peas. He moved the plate over to Dean's side of the station along with his scallops. Dean slid his dishes over next to Cas'. "So, I'm seeing some pairings here. Maybe we can figure out a way to get the potato dish onto the same plate as my pork and beans." Cas pulled out two forks from a nearby silverware rack. "Here, let's sample them."

Dean took the offered fork and scooped up some of Cas' black-eyed peas. He seemed to be rolling them around in his mouth a bit before chewing and swallowing them. Cas reached over and speared a bit of the potatoes. He ate them and his eyes closed on the bite. They were good, quite good. He turned to the silverware rack again and got a spoon. _This is not your typical potato salad._ Cas dipped in again with his spoon and pulled out another bite, this time with plenty of the sabayon. "You like it?" Dean sounded nervous, almost like he thought it was possible to actually dislike this dish.

"Like would be an understatement so profound that I am choosing to not answer you in favor of continued eating." He took another mouthful and noted Dean's expression shifting to one of subtle joy. "Try the scallops with your chutney. I want to know if they'll work together."

Dean cut one of the scallops and ate it first without the chutney. He seemed pleased. Then he tried it again with the chutney. "It seems like it works. I'm not sure that the chutney is good enough. You might want to make a different sauce instead."

Cas cut off a piece of a scallop and added a dollop of the chutney to the forkful. He ate it. It was perfect in all of the ways that unexpected flavor combinations were. He liked that Dean's chutney was flavorful, and not a bit shy in the spice department. "Dean, I would be pleased to spend the rest of my life eating just this meal. It is excellent. I'm quite glad that you agreed to work for me. I am also quite glad that I took a risk this week and hired you. To be frank, I wasn't sure if you would be able to handle the nuances of a restaurant like this one, but now, I wonder how I could have ever been in doubt. This is exceptional."

Dean turned away from him and set down the fork. "Thank you." His words sounded a little muffled. His hand darted up to his face, but Cas couldn't see why.

Charlie came over and said, "Hey Cas, you mind helping me with some of the dessert ingredients?"

"Okay." She could have asked any of the other worker, so he assumed that she wanted a word with him. She led him off to the large walk-in on the other end of the restaurant and they went in. "What's up?"

"So, what's the story with the new hire?" She had a hand on her hip and a look that seemed at once mischievous and also quite serious.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you hire him for his skills, or is he window dressing?"

Cas felt the look on his face shift to the scowl. "He's quite talented."

"Okay, okay. I didn't mean to doubt that. It's just that I may have noticed how you were watching him. You think he's dreamy." She said the last like it was some sort of silly song.

"I think that he is a talented chef that is also now my employee." Cas felt the defensive tone undercutting his words.

"Cas, it's me. We talk like friends when no one's looking." She reached out and set a hand on his arm. "You find him attractive."

Cas shrugged her off. "Well, I'm not dead. He's obviously aesthetically pleasing." He moved back to the door to leave, the cold was starting to seep in under his skin. "He's also my employee, and I have no intentions of making our relationship awkward. He deserves to have a work environment free of mine or anyone else's unwanted advances."

"What if he looks at you the same way? What if he wants the advances?" Charlie came back to his side.

Cas paused with his hand on the door handle. "Well, I made a choice. I hired him. You don't get your honey where you get your money."

"That's dumb, Cas."

"Not so much. Could you imagine having to work with someone that you dated? I mean, you'd never be able to escape them. I'd rather have a little peace in here. Lord knows we need that after the last couple of months." He opened the door and effectively ended the conversation.

He strolled back over to the station and noticed that Dean had polished off the rest of the black-eyed peas and another scallop. "Sorry, I maybe ate more than I should have. It was really good though."

"Eat away. I think we've got two items for the menu. You feel confident enough to get these items going for tomorrow night?"

"Yes, Chef." Dean looked down at the scallops and the now empty plate of black-eyed peas. "Actually, you might need to walk me through the preparation on the peas. There's some flavors that I'm not familiar with."

Cas smiled. "Of course, Dean." He moved some of the dishes off to the bus tub and let himself finish off a few bites of the scallops and chutney. He liked the way that Dean looked in the moment. He schooled his thoughts into a safer place. He glanced past Dean and saw Charlie looking back at him. She waggled her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Something wrong?"

"Uh, no. Charlie's just making faces at me. We do that sometimes." Cas felt awkward and moved away a bit. He cleaned up the station and pulled down a paper to write out the menu. Dean leaned onto the counter next to him and watched him write. It was not easy for Cas to focus. Dean's arm settled against his. He could practically feel the little gusts of hot breath on his cheek. Dean wasn't too close, but Cas usually kept a respectable distance between himself and others. Cas was starting to think that Dean was not one for personal space. _Maybe we should talk about this._ But he didn't say a word. _No harm in silently enjoying this. No harm at all._ He glanced toward Charlie again and noted that she was still watching them, a smile on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

Three weeks passed. They fell into a comfortable rhythm. Working with Dean was easy and pleasurable. He anticipated what was needed each night, and made the time together pass swiftly. Cas hadn't even realized how long it had been since either of them had really taken a day off. They added two new chefs that Cas hired to work the Wednesday and Thursday shifts, their slowest nights. Dean didn't stay home those nights though. He came in and planned menu items and talked to the staff about schedules and new dishes that he dreamed up the night before. At first Cas tried to encourage him to take the days off, rest, recuperate, but Dean seemed to be largely unhappy with the assumption that he needed that much rest.

"I just need four hours away each day for sleeping, then I'm good to go again. Besides Cas, I really don't have anything else I want to be doing." Cas took Dean's words at face value, but by the third week, he could see the need for more rest.

Cas got a flyer in the mail for a food expo. It wasn't far away, but it would require an overnight stay if he wanted to see everything. He considered sending Dean. It would force him to take a break, while at the same time it would look like work, so he couldn't say no. Dean was at his station, making a deconstructed tzatziki that he planned to pair with mi-cuit salmon that he would chill prior to serving. Cas was looking forward to sampling the dish.

He stood to the side just watching Dean work. He did that often, and he tried to be subtle about it. It was becoming quite the pastime for him now, and was drawing him some ribbing from some of the crew. Charlie was often quick to mutter something while passing him, and Kevin quickly got in on the fun. He tried to brush it off, but often he found himself flushed to a high red from just the slightest comment. He did his best to keep Dean from noticing, sometimes even being brusque with him in order to hide the things fluttering inside of him.

He set the flyer on the counter and pushed it toward Dean when he looked like he could pause in his work. "Here."

"What's this?" Dean glanced down at it, reached back to the towel tucked into his back pocket, and dried off his hands.

"It's a food expo. I thought it might inspire some menu ideas. I figure Elizabeth could come in an extra day, so that there wouldn't be a hurry back. The expo runs on Wednesday. So one could head there on Tuesday, stay overnight and drive home Wednesday night or maybe Thursday morning." Cas stopped talking. He wasn't sure why he felt nervous bringing it up. He supposed that he didn't want Dean to see through his ruse of tricking him into a day or two off.

Dean didn't respond right away. He picked up the flyer and looked through it. "Do they really have our kind of stuff? I mean, it kinda looks like mass market, pre-packaged stuff to me." Dean glanced over the paper at Cas.

"There's a lot of that, sure, but they also have some hidden gems tucked away at these events. I went to one once up in Northern California for heirloom tomatoes. I could have stayed a week at that one. You never know where inspiration will strike." Cas realized that his fingers were nervously drumming on the counter while he explained. To cover, he dropped his hand down to his side.

"It's this week. Is that enough notice for Elizabeth?"

"Oh, yeah. She's been wanting to do more since day one."

"What about Rufus? You didn't mention him."

"You think I need to bring both of them in?" Cas cocked his head to the side. _Dean does do a lot. Maybe it would take two people to fill in for him._

"Well, yeah. That's a lot of work for one person."

"You do that much work all of the time." Cas looked down at his feet then back up at Dean.

"Not even. I work hard; I'll own that, but I don't work that hard. You should totally call in Rufus on this too." Dean turned back to his salmon dish and Cas leaned into the counter to watch again. "So do you think that they'd mind covering through Thursday? It would be nice to not feel rushed."

Charlie, of course, chose that moment to pop over into the conversation. "Whatcha feeling rushed about?"

"Hey goober." Dean and Charlie had bonded quickly, each resorting to minor name calling nearly from the first night in the kitchen. "Cas and I are going to a food expo."

 _Shit. He thinks I'm going too. I didn't say I was going._ Charlie looked over at him with one of her eyebrow waggles and said, "Well, isn't that nice." She dragged out the words a little, implication heavy in each syllable. "So Cas, how long has it been since you've gone to one of those expos?"

She grinned at him and he said, "A little over a year." _Now would be the time to say that I'm not going._ Somehow he couldn't summon the words though.

"You've certainly earned the break, you both have. It's been a busy three weeks. Have either of you even had a whole day away from this place?" Cas looked at Dean and knew that the answer was no. He knew that he was always working.

"It hasn't felt like work, so I'm not sure that I'll view this as a break." Dean turned to Charlie as he responded. "If you like what you do, why would you want to do anything else?"

Charlie smiled at him. "You're a real hero, Dean."

"Yeah, right. Hunting down new foods, saving people from mediocre meals, the hero experience." Dean chuckled a bit. His plate of salmon and tzatziki was finished. He slid it over to Cas. "Try it out. Tell me if it works." Dean wandered off to the fridge, leaving Cas and Charlie alone.

"So you making a move at the expo, Cas?" Charlie snagged a fork and began eating some of the salmon.

Cas took a fork and did the same. "No, I wasn't even intending to go, but I guess we got our signals crossed there. I meant for him to go on his own. I wanted him to have a little break."

"Noticed that you didn't exactly correct the misconception."

"It would have been awkward." Cas slid a piece of salmon through the yogurt and then dabbed the yogurt covered bite in the herbs, tiny cucumber cubes, and the salt. The pieces clung to the salmon and yogurt. He ate it and hummed around the bite. "This is so good."

"Yeah, imagine what else he might be good at." Charlie laughed at his look of surprise. "Like you haven't been doing that since day one. Don't put on the prude act for me, Cas." Dean practically materialized again behind him.

"Cas is a prude?" Dean laughed and set down a few vegetables that Cas recalled from their shopping the other day. Dean had said he'd pickle some things.

"I'm totally. Great big giant prude." He narrowed his eyes at Charlie.

"Yep, Cas is a prude. He doesn't know the first thing about flirting. He's gonna have to date someone that literally does all the work. Ya know, someone that pulls him out of his prudish little shell." Charlie was laughing harder now with the glare she was getting from him. Cas decided that he needed to get out while he could.

He walked away from her toward the other end of the kitchen and made his way to his office. He closed the door behind him and tossed himself down into his chair. He looked up at the calendar. It was Thursday, so he had a little time to get the rooms in order, and it didn't have to be a big deal. There was a tapping on his door though that pulled him from his thoughts. "Come in."

The door opened a crack and Dean came in. "You okay?" He pushed the door closed behind him and leaned against it.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" Cas leaned back into his chair to give off an air of relaxation. He could barely look at Dean though. It was growing more and more difficult to be near him without the little flutterings in his stomach taking over.

"It's just that, I hope you weren't offended out there. I didn't mean to sound like I was calling you a prude. I was just repeating Charlie. Seemed like you two were just joking around."

"You think you offended me?" Cas noted the serious look on Dean's face as he asked. Dean shrugged in answer. "You've never once offended me. Charlie was just rubbing me the wrong way is all. I decided to take a break from it."

"Because she called you a prude or because of something else?" Dean seemed to be having trouble looking at him.

All of a sudden Cas worried that she had said something she shouldn't have. "What did she say?"

Dean looked back at him then at the wall past him. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Cas got up, ready to storm past him and back to Charlie. _There were lines. There are things you just don't say._ "It was nothing, Cas."

"It was something. I need to go talk with her immediately. Step aside." He didn't mean to sound so rough again, his voice coming through his gritted teeth.

Dean didn't move though. "Please don't. If you go out there when you're mad like this, it'll damage my relationship with the crew. I need them to like me. They'll do more for me, for us, if they like and respect us."

"What did she say?" Cas was close to him. Dean was pressed flat up against the door.

"She just said to have fun on our trip. She said that I should encourage you to be yourself, have a good time." Dean stopped then like there was more, but he didn't want to share it.

"And?" Cas didn't move away. His air and Dean's were mostly the same now.

"Just that. She likes you, Cas. She didn't mean to make you feel awkward."

"Yeah, well now she's made you feel awkward too." He started to reach down for the doorknob to leave. He fully intended to just pull the door open despite the fact that Dean was leaning there. Dean's hand settled on his, effectively stopping him.

"I don't feel awkward."

"Really?" Cas looked up at him and saw something in his eyes that sent the flutters into overtime again. Maybe it was the light streaming in from the window. It was that perfect time when the afternoon sun managed to get to the window past the high rises that surrounded them.

"Really, but I think that you do, so just…" He dropped his hand from Cas' "Can we just pretend that we didn't have this conversation, and that Charlie didn't say anything?"

Dean's head was tipped a little to the side. Cas felt like it was almost an invitation. _Lean in just a little and accept the invite._ "Okay."

"The expo will be fun," Dean's words ghosted past his cheek to his ear. Cas moved a fraction closer to Dean. The air around them felt thicker. Dean's lips parted a little. His tongue darted out to moisten them.

There was another tap on the door. "Damn it." He didn't mean to say it out loud. Dean moved aside. Cas avoided looking at him. He opened the door. Kevin was standing there. "The meat delivery is here." Cas moved back out to the kitchen and followed Kevin off to take care of the elk that they would be getting. He didn't look back at Dean. He was pretty sure it would just be uncomfortable. He also hoped that Dean hadn't heard him say _damn it._ He didn't know how he'd explain that. He knew though, that Dean had heard it. There was no way that he could have missed it. He pushed onward though, hoping that he could fix the situation, make things less awkward before the expo.


	6. Chapter 6

They fell back into the comfortable patterns that had been established during their three weeks together. They prepared their dishes. Cas made an elk wellington with wild mushroom duxelles and two purees. One was a beet puree and the other was a parsnip puree. He was pleased with how it turned out. The colors made the plating a pleasure, an art that he knew would impress his customers.

At the end of each night, when the last of the customers had finally departed, they would always return to their table to eat together from the dishes that they created. By Sunday, Cas was ready to be in his bed, long before the final customer had left. Dean was already plating their meals though. He dragged himself along in Dean's wake, not carrying anything as he went. Normally, he wouldn't go about empty handed. He'd been so tired though. His nights had been populated with dreams and restlessness. He had managed to book their rooms, but he had not been able to get them into the convention center hotel. They were close though.

Cas took his usual seat and Dean set the plate in front of him. It was a little combination of several items from the night's menu. Dean had included some of the elk wellington and a secondary plate with some of the vegetable dishes. He looked down and saw that Dean had given him some of the pickles that he had made. One was a yellow squash made into a turmeric flavored pickle. He may have taken several of them over the course of the evening. At one point Dean actually swatted his hand away from them, actually saying, "I am totally going to run out of them if you keep eating them."

Cas had restrained himself from further thieving. Now instead of devouring the pickles and meat, he just focused on keeping himself awake. "I'm sorry. I really don't think I can stay awake much longer."

"You should try to eat some. Pretty sure you can't survive on just pickles." Dean reached across and pushed the plate a little closer.

"I may have grazed a little another time or two when you weren't looking." Cas looked up now.

"I knew it. It was you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." But Cas knew.

"You took my plate of salmon." Dean leaned back into his chair. "I almost accused Kevin."

"I figured you could make another one pretty quickly. It was good." Cas smiled a sleepy little smile at him. "Besides, you stole my cocktail."

Dean snickered, "I didn't think that you noticed that. I left you the glass."

"Yeah, with melted ice and all. You're a real giver." Cas felt himself perking up. He picked up the fork and ate the pickles before diving into the elk. When they finished the main course, they chose not to have dessert. They cleared off the table and turned out the lights in the kitchen. Cas locked up and walked out with Dean.

"You gonna let me give you a ride home?" Cas felt Dean's hand settle on his back as they walked down the sidewalk toward Dean's car.

"We might need the van tomorrow." Cas scowled at the vehicle.

"If you feel that way tomorrow, I'll pick you up and bring you to it." Dean sounded like he was not to be argued with. It wasn't an argument really. Cas just didn't want to take advantage of Dean.

"You really don't mind? I'm kinda tired. Probably shouldn't drive." Dean directed him toward the car and even opened the passenger's side door for him.

"Here you go." He nodded down to the seat. He got in the car and asked, "You awake enough to give me directions?"

"Yeah. Head over toward MLK then take a right on fourth." Cas put on his seatbelt and watched the road in front of them as Dean cruised out into the night. They passed the Roadhouse and turned onto fourth. The streetlights sent out their amber glow down onto them. "I live in the building on the corner."

Dean pulled up to a stop and shut the car off. "I'm gonna walk you up."

"You don't have to do that." Cas felt more awake now. He thought of the dishes still in the sink and the countertop that might need to be wiped down. He thought about his laundry basket still sitting on the couch. He was normally much neater. He didn't want Dean to see his place like this.

Dean got out of the car and rounded the front to Cas' side. He opened the door and waited for Cas to get out. "Come on sleepy head, out of the car." Dean reached down for him. Cas took his hand and let him pull him up.

"I'm really fine, Dean. I've just been tired. It's been a long couple of days." Cas began to move away from the car.

"I guess it's good that you're getting a little break too." Dean followed him up the stairs and into the building. There was a small elevator at the end of the hall. Cas pushed the up button.

"Pretty sure that it's the trip that's causing my lack of sleep. Sorry if I was off tonight." The elevator arrived and Cas thought that he'd be riding up alone. Dean got in with him though.

"You weren't off at all. I just noticed you fading a bit at the end. To be fair, it has been busier. Anna said that we didn't do the reduced service this week." Cas thought about the stupidity of the decision he made earlier that week. Normally they cut back the number of tables they'd serve on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. He thought, though, that this week, that he needed a distraction that could only come from being very busy. He had been wrong and was now paying the price with exhaustion.

They got to Cas' place and stopped. Cas fumbled around for his keys and opened his door. "Well, thanks Dean. I guess I'll see you bright and early."

Dean leaned into the doorframe. "You want to call me when you get up?"

"I'll do that." Dean did that thing where he licked his lips and tipped his head. It reminded Cas of the moment in his office. He'd almost kissed him. He thought now that it was good that they hadn't done that. _How awkward would it be to go on this trip with a kiss hanging over us?_ He had considered before that maybe Dean could be more than an employee, but he had decided that taking that risk would be too much. He couldn't have his proverbial cake and eat it too. What if things didn't work out? Then he'd be down one boyfriend and a sous chef.

He moved past Dean into his apartment. Dean looked a little disappointed. "See you tomorrow Cas."

"Goodnight Dean." Cas let the door close behind him. He leaned his back against the unforgiving solidity of it with a sigh. He closed his eyes and forced himself to just breathe.


	7. Chapter 7

Cas woke up late and saw his phone flashing on his nightstand. He barely remembered crawling under the sheets. He was still wearing one sock but not the other. He picked up his phone, turned it on, and gave it a squinty eyed staredown. _I took care of the orders today. I hope you aren't mad. I thought that you needed to sleep more than you needed to shop. You can be mad at me later when you wake up._

"Shit," Cas muttered as he ran a hand over his eyes. He threw himself out of the bed and toward the bathroom. He took care of the morning needs and got dressed. His phone was flashing again. _I'm close to your place now. Are you up yet._

He texted back, _Yeah. Can't believe that you did the shopping without me._

 _You mad?_

 _Incredibly._

 _You can yell at me in person. When I said that I was close to your place, what I really meant was that I'm parked out front._

Cas walked over to his window and looked down. Sure enough, there was Dean leaning against the side of the Impala with his phone in hand. It looked like it would be an overcast day, but Dean looked like sunshine and warm sandy beaches. Cas shook his head to clear the thoughts. His day needed to be productive. He grabbed a plaid button up and threw it on over his t-shirt. He dashed down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. It was five flights, but he liked the rush that the descent gave to him. He practically burst out onto the little outdoor landing that was just five short steps to the sidewalk. Dean looked up at him, a hopeful grin flitting across his face.

Cas felt himself freeze up. _How am I going to spend a weekend with him and not…_ "Hey, Dean."

"Hey, Cas." They both just stared. "So are you actually mad, or were you just…" Dean shuffled about a little.

"Not mad. Can't believe I didn't wake up. Didn't even set my alarm. I never sleep in." Cas found some reserve of energy that allowed him to move down the stairs toward Dean. When he got to the sidewalk and more importantly the space right in front of Dean, he stopped.

"So, uh, you look good." Dean muttered.

Cas tipped his head to think about that. He looked down at his clothes and then back at Dean. "If you say so."

"I do say so. You look good, really good." Dean reached out for the car door and opened it for Cas. "Guess you really needed that sleep."

"Guess I did. Thanks for stepping in for me." Cas got in the car. Dean closed the door behind him.

They drove to the restaurant in silence. Dean threw casual glances at him and Cas did the same. Dean unloaded the usual boxes and crates from his car into the restaurant. Cas helped. "You picked out some interesting things here, Dean." Cas looked into the crate he was carrying. "Black Winter Truffle."

"Yeah, it was pricey." Dean set down his box and walked over to Cas.

"As it should be. I reckon we could have it on the menu as a supplemental paired with a risotto."

"That's what I was thinking. I got some wild mushrooms to add to it too." Dean pointed over to his box. Cas walked over and inspected. He was pleased with the selection. "I also ordered some squab. I thought that maybe we could do something with that."

"This is all perfect." He turned to Dean then and added, "So let's plan the meals out, and when Elizabeth and Rufus come in, we can walk them through this."

Dean's smile spread wide as he took in the compliment. "Yes, Chef."

* * *

Dean decided that he wanted to drive. They left early in the morning, hoping to arrive before nightfall. Cas was nervous. It had been building, but at least now he was well-rested enough to deal with it. Also, seeing Rufus and Elizabeth working through the menu items helped. The choices were well-suited to their skillsets.

Cas worried as they drove that he would run out of things to say. He thought that this would lead to a whole world of word vomit. Turned out though, that Dean had plenty of music, and every intention of listening to it. He popped in one 80s collection after another. He even sang along. Sometimes he sounded horrible. Sometimes, in the softer ballads, he sounded beautiful. Cas thought that in those moments he actually sounded a little like Johnny Cash. There was a low growl that lived in the long drawn out notes that he would sing.

Cas liked every bit of the drive. He wanted it to last longer, which was ironic, seeing as they had been in the car for many hours now as it was. Mid-way through the journey, Dean turned down the volume on the stereo. "You hungry yet?"

"A world of yes." Cas had been feeling the beginnings of hunger gnawing at his insides for awhile.

"How about a Waffle House?"

"Haven't been to one of those in years. Sure." Dean exited the highway and seemed to find a Waffle House as if by instinct.

"Been seeing the signs since Camden, and figured maybe I could convince you. Turns out you're pretty easy to convince."

Cas raised and eyebrow and said, "Yep that's me, easy." Dean let out a little laugh.

They got out of the car and walked into the place. Dean ordered some sort of waffle and in addition hash browns that were as Dean put it, "Topped, covered, and smothered." Cas tried to school his response to the order, a slight smile tugging at his mouth.

Cas for his part just ordered a salad. Dean scowled at him. "What?"

The waitress walked away with their order. "Seriously, Cas?"

"What?"

"A salad. At a Waffle House?" Dean rolled his eyes and drank his water.

"It's lunch time."

"It's a Waffle House. Do you honestly think that you're gonna get a great salad here? Do you honestly think that this is the place to go for of all things a salad?"

"Wow, a little judgey there about the salad." Cas took a drink of his water too. "Didn't realize my choices would prove so distasteful to you."

Dean said, "Well, when I let you steal a bit from my truly excellent hash browns and waffle, don't get too greedy. You get one bite and then regrets as you finish off your salad."

Cas just laughed at him. Their conversation meandering back to the restaurant and some of the employees. Dean offered up out of the blue, "Kevin seems like a nice guy."

Cas felt his eyebrows shoot up. "He is."

"You've known him for a long time?" It was a question with a tone that said something more. Cas wasn't sure what that something more was though.

"I've known him for a few years. He was a neighborhood kid. He's smart. Grew up well. His mom was always there too, carving out paths for him. She was very supportive when he said he wanted to go to culinary school. When I opened up Novak's, I knew that I had to hire him. I even tried him out as a sous chef, briefly."

"He's great with the sauces. He's really creative too." Dean leaned back into the bench seat. The waitress was returning with their food.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Cas could hear the crunching of his salad in stark contrast to the low moans of contentment with each bite that Dean took of his hash browns. "You're really enjoying those, huh?" Cas pointed at the hash browns with his fork.

"Yeah, try it." Dean scooped up a little of the soupy mixture and held it out in front of Cas.

Cas leaned forward and took the bite. It was diner food at its finest. There was cheese in abundance and also some chili. It was a meal in its own right, yet Dean had paired it with a full waffle too. "This is good. Maybe we can add it to our menu next week."

"You said we were looking for hidden gems. I think we found one."

Cas laughed. "Yeah, you never know where you might find the best things."

Dean refocused on his food, and Cas did the same. They had three more hours of driving, and he was glad not to have the potato monstrosity kicking around in his stomach for those hours. _Let Dean worry about that._ They paid the bill not long after and were back on the road. At the rate they were going, they would definitely make it before dark.

They listened to more music to pass the time. A few minutes outside of Edmonton, Cas turned down the music and asked, "What made you bring up Kevin?"

"Huh?" Dean threw a glance his way then refocused on the road ahead. "Oh, you mean at lunch?"

"Yeah, it just seemed like you were going somewhere with the questions." Cas turned a little in his seat and tossed an arm over the back between them.

"Oh, no reason really."

But Cas could hear in the tone that there was some reason. "You looking to have me promote him or something?"

"I don't think he wants that. He seems pretty happy with his current job." Dean paused a bit then continued. "It's just if you ever wanted to plan your meals with him instead, I'd understand."

Cas had to wrap his head around that for a moment. "Huh?"

"I mean, if you wanted me to back off a little, give you some space to work with him, I could do that."

"You don't make any sense. Why would I want that? You already tired of working with me, Winchester?"

Dean tensed a bit and said, "Obviously not." They became quiet again as the miles rumbled by. Cas waited for more explanation. "I was just talking with Charlie and she said…"

"Oh, God. What did she say?" Cas pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes and waited for the next awful moment.

"She just said that Kevin was interested in maybe spending some more time with you. I thought that maybe I was getting in the way of that by always working and such. I don't need to be so present. You just say the word and I'll make sure you get the time you need."

"Dean." Cas didn't even know where to begin. "Kevin is not interested in me in that way. He is straight, has a girlfriend, and has never even shown the slightest desire to change any bit of that." Cas sucked in a deep lungful of air and continued, "He's a kid to me. I'm entirely uninterested in him as a romantic possibility. He's really not my type, at all."

"Why would Charlie say that then?" Dean exited the highway to make his way through the city.

Cas knew exactly why. She was trying to spur some action. He plotted out the conversation that they would have to have once he returned. But Dean had asked a question, and the truth was not an easy answer to give in this situation. "Charlie was…" He muttered the rest under his breath.

"I didn't catch the last part."

"Charlie was likely trying to make you feel jealous." Cas refused to look at him.

"Huh? Why would she…" Dean looked like he had figured the answer out. "Oh."

"Yeah, she's been invasive." Dean pulled into a curb in front of the address that Cas had supplied before.

Dean looked a little ruffled by the information. "So, is this the place?"

Cas turned and looked out his window. He hadn't researched the place much. It looked much bigger in the photos online, and there hadn't been any real exterior shots. "Guess so." The sign out front proclaimed it the Edmonton Inn.

"Looks like a bed and breakfast," Dean said as he got out of the car.

Cas got out and walked back to the trunk where Dean was already unloading their luggage and was setting it on the sidewalk. "I assure you that the interior did not give off the bed and breakfast vibe. There really weren't many choices left with the convention happening. I think that I was pretty lucky to get our rooms here."

"I wasn't complaining." Dean closed the trunk and picked up their suitcases. Cas tried to take his, but Dean shrugged him off. "I got it." They walked to the front door. Cas opened it. "It looks nice." They made their way in and Cas rang the little bell on the table to alert someone of their presence.

A small grandmotherly type came in with her hair up in a bun. "Well, hello. One of you must be Mr. Novak."

"That would be me." Cas leaned against the table a little. Dean set down the bags and stood at his side.

"Now I have a bit of bad news about your reservation." Cas felt his nerves flutter. It was too late to find something else. "Mel is a little new, and she thought that we had two rooms to spare. We don't. We do have one room though, and I assure you that it is plenty spacious."

Cas didn't know how to politely refuse. "I don't think that'll work for us."

"Oh, I…" She seemed flustered. "I don't know what to do to fix this, Mr. Novak. I'm really so sorry." And she did indeed look sorry.

Dean said, "We can make it work, Cas." He gave the woman a bright smile and added, "It's not a problem, really." He glanced back at Cas and gave him a reassuring nod.

"Okay then." He paid and then they were guided up the stairs to a corner room. Ellie, the proprietor, gave them their keys.

"Once again, I'm really sorry about the mix up." She shuffled back two steps and added, "If you need some dinner recommendations, let me know."

Dean spoke up again, "Is there anything nearby?"

"Oh, yes. We have a great place around the corner. Here." She stepped into their room and walked over to the window. She pointed off down the block. "See over there, where the river winds under the little bridge?"

"Yeah. Where the lights are?" Dean leaned into the space next to her. Cas came over and peeked over his shoulder.

"Well, that's the River Terrace. They have little outdoor tables along the walkway that meanders around the river there. It's lovely at night with the lanterns all lit along the walk."

"Good food?" Cas asked.

"Excellent food. I like my comfort food though." Ellie stepped away from the window and wandered back out the door into the hall. "Well, hope you enjoy your stay." She closed the door as she left. Cas felt the silence like a weight bearing down on the whole room.

Dean moved off to the suitcases and put them up on the little window seat. He opened his up and pulled out his smaller travel case with his bathroom supplies and a fresh shirt. He strolled off to the bathroom. "Wanna get dinner in a bit? I mean, I'm not starving or anything, but it'd be nice to stretch my legs a little."

"I'd be up for a walk that ended at that restaurant," Cas offered.

"Well, then I'll just be a couple of minutes." Once he closed the bathroom door. Cas surveyed the room. There was one bed. Neither of them had commented on it yet. There was a sofa along the one wall, but it didn't look like the kind that had a pull-out. He lifted the cushions anyway just to be sure, and there was nothing but a frame. _Guess one of us gets the couch. Maybe we can trade off._ He sat down on it and noted the firmness of it. _This will not be kind to either of us._ He looked at the window seat and the suitcases there. He wandered over, intending to feel the padding there. _Maybe it'll be more comfortable than the couch._ He stood in front of the space, Dean's suitcase still open. His was still closed. There was something vaguely familiar poking out of the edge of Dean's suitcase.

"Oh." Cas leaned in closer. "Oh," he said again when he saw that it was indeed a condom.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Dean emerged from the bathroom. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. You just startled me. I was about to open up my suitcase." Cas avoided eye contact. Dean walked over and tossed a couple of things into the open suitcase. He didn't seem to notice that the condom packets were a little visible.

"You ready?" Dean was standing close, and Cas liked the feeling of warmth that seemed to radiate from him. _Maybe he wants to go bar hopping. Meet some people._

"Sure." With that, they headed out. Cas considered how best to broach the subject. He certainly didn't want to stand in his way.


	8. Chapter 8

They walked down the street and crossed over. There was a little cobbled stone stairway that dipped down to the river's edge. The walkway along it was dotted with shops selling trinkets and tourist baubles. There were restaurants here and there. Cas noticed the gentle brush and slide of Dean's arm against his own with each step. He was grateful for the warm day that caused him to be wearing only a t-shirt. Dean was wearing a button up that he had changed into before they left the inn. He had the sleeves rolled up though, so the contact with Dean was unobstructed by material.

Before he could let his thoughts stray too far, he said, "So, I don't want you to feel like you have to be glued to me. If at anytime you want to go off and see the town or whatever, you should feel free."

Dean just looked at him like he didn't get it. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know. I guess if you wanted to meet up with someone or something like that." Cas felt weird about spelling it out even that much.

"I don't know anyone here."

"I was just saying that if you wanted to get to know someone out here, you don't have to worry about me." Cas stopped and leaned on the stone barrier that separated them from the water's edge.

Dean mirrored his move. "I'm perfectly happy with not doing that."

"Oh." Cas let himself look his fill. The moon was out now, and the night was punctuated by the many colored lanterns that were strung across the river. He wondered in that moment, why Dean was being difficult, but he didn't care. He could take joy in the little moments even if he ended up slipping off at some point to meet someone. The denial did not counter the very real evidence of Dean's intentions.

Dean reached out and rested his hand low on Cas' back. "Come on. Let's go get some food."

Cas let him lead him back toward the River Terrace. Dean's hand didn't fall away from him as they walked back. "I'm glad I convinced you to do this."

Dean hummed approval. "Then why were you trying to get rid of me?"

"I wasn't."

The restaurant was small and not too crowded as it was a Tuesday night. Cas thought that the foodies would have filled the place up. There were a lot of places to pick from in town, though. The host led them to a table near the water. The lanterns gave off a warm red glow at this end of the river. The waiter came to them and asked about drinks after setting down a basket of warm focaccia bread and two containers, one with oil and the other with balsamic vinegar. "You have any drink preferences, Cas?"

"How about a Cab?" Dean nodded at Cas' suggestion. The waiter pointed at a mid-priced bottle, and Cas nodded acceptance.

Dean picked at a piece of the foccacia. "You really weren't trying to get rid of me then?"

"No, I don't even know why you would think that. I just don't want you to feel like I expect…" He stopped. He couldn't think of a way to finish the sentence that didn't end in him feeling awkward.

"Oh." Dean picked up another piece of the foccacia and ate it. A moment passed and then another. "I hope you know I'm here because I want to be here. I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. Same as everyday, Cas."

The wine came and was poured. He found it to be exceptional. The waiter made the pours for each of them generous. He took their orders next. Dean ordered a steak. Cas ordered tortellini. Once again they were left to themselves. _How am I going to be in a room alone with him for two nights?_ "I tested the couch. It seems tolerable. Figure we can trade off. I don't mind taking it the first night since you drove and all."

Dean lifted the wine to his lips. "We'll see."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Dean pulled another chunk of foccacia from the basket. Cas was about to ask what he meant again, but Dean pushed the doughy goodness into his mouth. "You're missing out. Figured I'd force you to stop thinking so much and eat something that's not Waffle House salad." Cas closed his eyes and savored the herby flavor. He also savored the feel of Dean's fingers as they quickly brushed his lips on the retreat. "Good huh?"

"Very." He drank more of the wine, telling himself to be careful not to drink too much before he had something to eat. Dean pulled another piece and held it in front of his lips. Cas let his lips part, and Dean pressed the new piece in. Cas didn't mean to do it, but he closed his lips around Dean's finger and sucked away the remnants of herbs from him. Dean sucked in an audible breath. Cas released him. Dean didn't withdraw with any great speed. Instead he let his finger slowly slide free only to trace a path along Cas' lips.

"Hungry?"

"Very." Each of them spoke in low whispers across the table. Each moment that they looked at each other said more than the words.

They didn't speak much. They ate though, and watched each other over the edges of their wine glasses. Toward the end when the waiter offered dessert, they both said no simultaneously. Cas paid the bill. "You should let me cover my half."

"Consider it research for our menus. That makes it business, thus you don't have to pay." They got up and began walking back to the inn.

It was late, when they finally got back to the room. The wine had warmed them both in the time that they had been out. Cas stood off next to the window, looking down at the city and the river. Dean stood next to him. "Could I ask you something?"

Cas turned to him, pressing his back to the wall near the window. "Of course."

"Am I off the clock right now?"

"Well, it's a work trip, so technically I'll be paying you during your time here." Cas tipped his head a little and tried to figure out what Dean really wanted to know.

"Then I'm gonna need you to fire me, or I'll have to quit."

"What?" Cas felt like his world was dropping out from under him.

Dean reached up and cupped his cheek in his hand. "I don't want there to be any confusion about this, so I'm gonna need you to fire me."

"I'm not gonna fire you, Dean." Cas was torn between excitement from the physical contact and the contrasting fear that came from Dean's words.

"Then as of this moment, I quit. Do you accept my resignation?" Dean leaned in closer.

"Never." Cas licked his lips and noted the way that Dean's eyes followed the move.

"Well, that's too bad then, because I don't intend to sleep with you if you're viewing our relationship as all business." Cas sucked in a breath of shock. Dean moved in closer, his chest pressing him back more solidly against the wall. Dean's mouth found his, and Cas let his lips part in welcome. _What's happening?_

When Dean let him breathe he said, "But I need a sous chef."

Dean laughed a little. "Yeah, you need a sous chef." He kissed into Cas' neck, dragging his lips over the day's growth of stubble there. Cas was pulling Dean's shirt out of his pants. His hands came to the front to unbutton it.

"I really need a sous chef. You can't quit on me." He pulled Dean's face back to him and kissed him long and deep. He tasted the meal and the wine, the want and the need.

"I guess you'll just have to hire me back on Friday then." Dean's hands ran up under his t-shirt and pulled it up and over Cas' head. He finished the job that Cas had started, and unbuttoned the last of his shirt. He let it drop to the floor behind him.

"So it's temporary?"

"The quitting yes. The sex? Let's hope not." They were still wearing pants, but Dean was pressed back against him again. Cas could feel the hard lines of Dean past the material that stood as a barrier between them. Dean's hips rocked against him setting up a rhythm for what they both hoped was next. Cas slid his leg up along Dean's until he could feel himself lifted up just a bit. Dean tightened his grip on him and moved him to the bed. "I've wanted this for so long."

Cas let himself fall back onto the mattress that was far more comfortable than the couch he had thought that he'd be lying on. Dean crawled up him, legs on either side of him. "I didn't know. I'm not good at picking up on signals."

"That's what Charlie said." Dean dragged his tongue down the side of Cas' neck. He nibbled at the space that curved in near his collarbone. He raked his teeth over his chest, stopping at his nipple, giving it a quick flick of his tongue. "Made me want you more."

Dean slid down his chest. He gripped the button on his pants and seemed to tear them open. Cas lifted his hips, and Dean slid his hands past the waistband, peeling them away. In a swift move that followed, Cas flipped them over so that now Dean was on his back. Cas framed him in with his hands pressed down to the mattress near his elbows. He leaned down close and said, "So you'll let me hire you back? Promise."

Dean leaned up to him and kissed him lightly. "Of course, Cas." There was something in the gentleness of the move that stayed with Cas all the more. He leaned back a bit and undid Dean's pants.

"Lift your hips." Dean complied, and Cas pulled the pants off. He got up off the bed to fully toss them aside. He crawled slowly back over Dean and leaned down to just look at him.

"I hate to rush you, but I don't think I'll be lasting long." Dean cast a glance down both their bodies.

"I just needed a moment to take all of this in." Cas lowered himself minutely, but didn't bring them into any further contact. "Not sure what you want from me." Dean's lips curled up into a smirk. His legs pressed out fast against Cas' own and brought him down flat against him. "Oh."

"Yeah, that would be a good start." Dean's hips rocked up into his, a sweet bit of friction coaxed out a low moan of approval from Cas. Dean nuzzled up into his neck, sucking a path up to the spot just behind his earlobe. Cas felt his body matching the rhythm that Dean set with his own hips. "Truth be told, I want you to fuck me, but I'm pretty sure that'll have to wait." His words were punctuated with puffs of breath ghosting over his ear.

Dean's hands gripped his ass and pulled him impossibly closer. Their movements growing more erratic with each passing second. Cas knew that he was not going to last long either. Their breathing was in sync. Cas wanted to reach down, just get his hands on him, but he also didn't want to lose the full body contact that they had going for them. Dean pushed himself up off the bed a little more. Cas wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in. He found his mouth again. He sucked in Dean's kiss swollen lips. Dean's lips parted and let his tongue in for a swipe along his palate. He felt him shudder beneath him, his orgasm on the precipice. Cas wanted to see it all happen for Dean, but he wanted to feel it more. "Dean," he murmured as he dragged his lips to Dean's neck.

And it was like he had been waiting for just that one word, that one moment of absolute desire. Cas wondered if he'd ever be able to say Dean's name with anything less than the reverence that he felt in this moment. Cas followed not long after Dean; two more hard fast presses of their hips together and Cas was gone. He slumped down on top of Dean and just laid there a moment, breathing in the humid air around them. He poked out his lips every couple of seconds and kissed Dean's pulse point. The steady drum of Dean's heartbeat, his new favorite song.


	9. Chapter 9

The expo began at some ungodly hour. Cas got up with some newfound energy and left Dean sleeping while he showered and changed for the day. He came out of the bathroom to find Dean still sleeping, but watching him seemed to snap him into consciousness. "We could just stay here, say we went. No one would know."

Cas tossed a pillow at him and told him to get up. Dean oozed out of the bed. He dragged some clothes out of the suitcase and moved at a snail's pace for the bathroom. When he emerged in a cloud of steam, Cas thought that he was making a mistake going to the expo. Dean was real life pornography walking into his room. He could spend the day with that and not go to the expo. He voiced his thoughts, "We should stay here."

"Mistakes were made, Cas. You wanted to go to this thing. Now you get to look at what you missed, fully clothed, all day long." Dean did a little turn, smiled, and grabbed his wallet off the nightstand. They went downstairs for breakfast. Ellie had quite the spread for her guests: French toast prepared more like bread pudding, fresh fruit, eggs benedict with a slightly spicy hollandaise sauce, and country potatoes.

They ate their fill and walked to the hotel that was hosting the convention. There was a registration process that granted them badges to wear on lanyards. They had to enter their contact information and the restaurant that they represented. Dean hovered over Cas' shoulder as he typed in his information. "You could fill yours out while I finish mine."

"I would have to fill it out as an unemployed former cook." Dean grinned at him.

"I hereby hire you back. You are now a sous chef again. Go fill out your stuff."

Dean moved to the computer next to him and said, "So you want us to be all business here then?" Dean typed on the computer.

Cas finished up and settled his chin on Dean's shoulder to watch him type. "I am capable of being at least a little professional around you."

"I'm losing my charm then." Dean laughed as he typed in the last of the information. They moved off to the registration desk to get the badges. "I'm betting you lose some of that self-control before the day is done, Mr. Novak."

"We'll see." They put the badges on over their heads and moved into the vast hall filled with vendors. Cas was determined to maintain his cool. They sat through demos for sous vides and industrial sized mixers. They tried out a great variety of foods. Dean stopped at a booth that made sorbets. They wouldn't need anything from this vendor; Charlie made all of that from scratch.

Cas was starting to move along when he noticed that the vendor was giving Dean a cone with a long piped up glob of bright orange sorbet. He came back. "Charlie will kill us if we bring home sorbet."

Dean thanked the vendor, took his card, and turned back to Cas. They walked out of the booth, and Dean took a good long lick of the sorbet. Cas watched him. "Free dessert." Dean smirked as he said it.

"You might be evil." Cas watched him run his tongue back up the side again in a slow slide. "Take that back, you are evil, an actual demon, pure sin."

Dean laughed at him. "Bet you wish you hadn't rehired me, huh?"

"Could always fire your sorry ass." They wandered down the aisle, Dean making the eating of his sorbet more obscene by the second. There was an exit at the end of the row. It went into a hall, likely for deliveries. Cas took Dean's free hand and pulled him toward it. They snaked around the hall that was on the other side of the door to a semi-lit space devoid of people. Dean popped the last bite into his mouth and chewed the cone noisily. "Consider yourself fired."

Dean's laugh came to an abrupt halt as Cas slammed him back against the hall wall. He kissed like a madman, sucking the flavor from Dean's lips. Cas let his hands roam down to the front of Dean's blessedly tight jeans. He had been admiring the way that they had accentuated all of the positive that was Dean's physique. "Knew you'd cave," Dean said between kisses. Cas gripped him tight without undoing Dean's pants. Dean's eyes rolled back. He let out a shuddering breath.

"You don't play fair." Cas rolled his fingers against him. He pressed his face in close to Dean's ear, "Might have to work on your manners a bit."

"Yes, we might." Dean pulled Cas closer to him. Then they heard a door open and bang shut. They darted away from each other to opposite walls. Cas pulled out his phone as a large group of workers made their way around the corner with carts of cleaning supplies. They hardly looked at Cas or Dean.

"You're hired again." Cas stalked off back to the expo, Dean at his side.

"Wonder if I can get you to fire me again." Dean bumped him a little as they walked.

Cas just grinned at him as they went back in.

* * *

Dean was hired and fired so many times that they may have lost track. By the time they left the expo and returned to the inn, it was rather late. Cas had been looking forward to the end of the day since Dean had first walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam. Now that they were back in the room, he had managed to temper his enthusiasm so as not to appear too interested. Dean seemed to know though, what was going on in his head. He walked around the room with a certain swagger. He even casually shifted items around in his suitcase, picked some things out and set them silently on the nightstand. He looked back at Cas to be sure that he noted the effort, and Cas certainly had noted it all.

He took two steps toward Dean when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He slipped the phone out and glanced down at the display. It was Charlie. He wondered if she was calling to mess with him or to tell him something important. He glanced up at Dean and then back at the phone. "It's Charlie. Gotta take it."

Dean just nodded and said, "Of course." He pulled his shirt off over his head as Cas answered. Cas had to turn his back on him. Dean just laughed a little.

"Hey, Charlie."

"Hey, Cas. Sorry to call so late, but it was the first opportunity with the busy night that we had," Charlie's voice came through loud and clear, but Cas could still hear the noisy background kitchen noises too.

"What's up? Anything wrong?" Cas' mind supplied all of the possible tragedies that could occur in his absence.

"I could have waited for you to come back, but somehow I thought that you'd want to know sooner rather than later."

"So tell me."

Dean came over then and leaned his head to Cas' side listening at his ear. Cas made it easier by tipping the phone out a little. "It's Katja. She's suing you."

"What do you mean, _she's suing me_? I should be suing her," Cas said as he slumped down to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I think that she was trying to have you served, and when you weren't here to accept the papers, she just kinda went a little ballistic. She was wearing a neck brace and said that you pushed her into the oven." Charlie sucked in a deep breath and added, "You'll be happy to hear that as a group, we collectively laughed in her face. She said she'd be back tomorrow and the next day. Said she'd come during business hours and disrupt service until you were served."

"Did she disrupt service tonight?" Cas worried aloud.

"No, she had the decency to show up before 5:00. Her lawyer was a piece of work, standing at her side in his fancy suit with a million dollar smirk on his face." Charlie sounded as angry as he felt.

"So she's coming back tomorrow, during the dinner service?"

"That's what she said," Charlie practically huffed out.

Dean slipped away from him and started packing the nightstand items back into the suitcase. "We'll leave tonight. We should be back tomorrow in the a.m. Let the others know."

Charlie let out what sounded like a long held sigh of relief. "That's good. I think that Elizabeth and Rufus were worried that you'd blame them for the way that the night went."

"I wouldn't have, but we certainly don't want her ruining anyone's evening. We'll likely have to involve law enforcement as it is."

"Maybe. I think though that she's angling for a settlement. I think that she's hoping that you'll just pay her off and be on your way."

"Well, we'll just see about that. I'm gonna hang up and pack. See you in the morning."

"Drive safe." Charlie sounded relieved and Cas hung up on that note. Dean had their bags all zipped up.

"I got the bathroom stuff all packed too."

"Sorry." Cas walked over to him and took a couple of moments for just them. He wrapped his arms around Dean's waist from behind him and tucked his head into the crook of Dean's shoulder. "I thought the drama with her was well and truly over."

"It's not you. You didn't do this."

"I'm gonna need to get a lawyer now. I don't even know where to begin on that front."

Dean turned around in his arms and said, "Lucky for you, I know a great lawyer."


	10. Chapter 10

Dean and Cas decided that they would trade off driving home, giving each an opportunity to catch a little sleep in the car. Cas couldn't sleep so he opted to drive first. Dean slept right off the bat, his head tilting into the window, lips popping open on a tiny snore. Cas smiled at him and occasionally stole glances at him as he drove through the night. It was not how either of them had pictured the night, but Dean still managed to be a rather fulfilling presence at his side.

He was supposed to pull over at some point and trade off driving with Dean but he didn't until they were nearly back home. Dean jerked awake and noted that Cas was still driving with a, "What the Hell, Cas."

"You looked peaceful."

"Pull over you doof." Cas complied and as soon as Dean pulled back onto the road, Cas was asleep.

* * *

They arrived back at Cas' place. It was too early to do anything at the restaurant, but they both needed to rest. Cas carried his suitcase into the complex like it was ten times heavier than it was. Dean followed him with his own bag. They hadn't discussed Dean staying, but he was. It just seemed natural. They entered the apartment and set down the luggage at the door. Cas dragged himself to the bedroom with Dean at his heels. They both tossed themselves down onto the mattress and didn't wake again for a few hours.

* * *

Cas awoke to the dull murmur of Dean's voice from the other room. He wasn't well rested, but at least he was not exhausted any more. He ran a hand back up through his hair scratching at his scalp. He tipped his legs over the side of the bed and pressed his palm to the edge of his eyes, rubbing away the sleep that still lingered there.

He stumbled to the door and out into the living room with the dim hope that Dean had figured out coffee, and that he would have made enough for more than one cup. Cas came to a stop as soon as he entered the living room. His eyes adjusted to the vision in front of him. Dean was not alone. Standing at his side was one of the tallest men he had ever seen. They both stared at Cas and stopped speaking. Dean moved away from the man and came over to Cas' side. He snaked an arm around his waist and pulled him into a sideways hug. "Morning sleepy head."

Cas noted the way that the other man had a half smile creeping into his features. He was wearing a finely tailored grey suit. He looked like a Fed. He had kind eyes behind the official-looking outer appearance, and his long sandy-colored hair gave off the impression that he was not one that was always entirely serious. "You should have told me that we had company."

"Yeah, but you needed sleep more. Plus, this is just my brother, Sam. Sam, this is Cas." Cas stepped away from Dean then and took Sam's hand in a hearty shake.

"Wow, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Dean has spoken very highly of you." Sam smiled at the kind words and they parted.

"He's said a lot about you as well. Gotta admit though, I didn't know about this development." He waved a hand between them, signifying the recent closeness.

"Oh, well that development is pretty new." Dean moved back to Cas' side again and resumed holding him.

"Really, and I bet I'm the last to know."

Cas said, "Actually the first to know. It really is pretty new, like yesterday new."

"Oh." Sam smiled brighter now. "So all those conversations we had before were not the beginnings of things?" Sam looked a little mischievous.

"Shut it Sam." Dean dropped his arm from around Cas and moved toward Sam.

"So when you called about your hot dinner date a few weeks back, weren't you talking about Cas? Coulda sworn that was who you said you were meeting." Sam backed away with a laugh.

"I mean it Sammy. Shut it," Dean said again, advancing still closer to his brother.

"Then you were like, _oh he's not interested. He just wants to give me a job._ Then a few weeks pass and suddenly…" Dean tackled him. Actually, he just tried to tackle him, but Sam was a giant. Dean wasn't a small man by any stretch of the imagination, but when he ran into Sam, it was like he had run into a wall. Sam just gave him a look like he was an annoying bug, but also like he found his efforts pathetically adorable. Cas was pleased with the look. It told him that the affection that Dean shared with him each time that he spoke of Sam was returned to him in kind.

"He doesn't need to be hearing all of this." Sam didn't seem to be too moved by Dean's efforts at taking him down.

Cas laughed at them again. "I think that I do need to hear this. I think that I need to hear all of this."

Sam continued despite Dean's efforts. "Well, he certainly changed his tune when you said that you wanted to take him on an overnighter. Could hardly shut him up about it. It was all, _Cas this_ and _Cas that_ for days, then suddenly it was _I don't think this is a business trip._ It was like talking to a giddy school girl."

Cas laughed at that and tried to imagine Dean excited about the little trip. He had kept his emotions in check rather well. In fact, Cas had been left wondering if Dean was even interested at all before they had left the city. Cas decided to help out. He reached out and took Dean by the arm and directed him back to his personal space. "I had no clue that you were interested. I thought it was all rather one-sided."

"Then you are wearing blinders. I could not have been more obvious."

"You were not obvious."

"Really? I guess that all of your cooks must have spent every waking moment with you, driving to farmer's markets, eating dinner until midnight, randomly finding reasons to initiate physical contact."

"TMI, Dude, TMI." Sam redirected his attention to Cas. "So I hear you need a lawyer."

"Yeah, looks like I'm about to get sued by a former employee."

"Dean said that she claimed to have been hit by you."

"Yes, I never laid a hand on her. In fact, she hit me," Cas said.

"Dean mentioned that. Said she left a bruise on your jaw." Sam looked from Dean to Cas. "So, she's gonna try for a settlement. That's all this is. Dean said you don't want to settle."

"We hadn't discussed this, but he's right. I don't want to settle with her. I won't give her the satisfaction," Cas felt his blood pressure shooting up with the mere thought.

Dean said, "She threatened to disrupt his business if she couldn't have him served today. That's why we came back a day early."

"Hmm, I can work with that. That is a very direct threat. I bet I can get a judge to see it that way, give us a restraining order against her."

"That would be nice. I don't feel any need to see her anymore."

"Well, it doesn't take care of the lawsuit, but it would protect you from any future violence from her." Sam picked up his bag and moved off to the door. "I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat, make some phone calls, and I'll see you both at the restaurant this afternoon. Just do what you'd normally do, and I'll do what I normally do."

"Thanks Sammy," Dean said as he moved back to his brother's side. He threw his arms around him in a quick hug, and then Sam departed.

They got changed and Dean did in fact make Cas some coffee. _Thank God._ Cas gulped down two mugs of the scalding earthy mixture, then Dean drove them both to the restaurant. Before they went in, Cas settled his hand on Dean's arm. "You're hired again."

Dean cast a sidelong look at him. "I know." He started to get out of the car, but then he stopped and said, "Are we keeping this to ourselves for right now?"

"I'd like to. I kinda just don't want to deal with the," Cas made air quotes and finished, "good natured ribbing."

"Charlie will know. I bet she'll take one look at you, and she'll just know."

"I'm not that transparent. Look." Cas stared levelly at Dean. His face gave off no hints of the mirth and affection that had been so present just a day before. "See?"

"Okay, maybe. You won't be able to keep it up though. I'm willing to go along with it for now. Certainly don't need to have the employees getting too familiar with our private lives."

"Exactly. I mean, if you decide that you aren't interested, then you should be able to feel that without it being awkward at work." Cas didn't know why he felt the need to add this, but one look at Dean's face told him that it was a mistake.

"Cas, why is it that you keep acting like you have to give me an out. I'm a grown ass man. I know what I want, or is this just your way of preserving your own exit strategy?"

Cas didn't know how to answer. He hadn't really considered his reasons. When his own father left some time ago, he had thought that it had been something that he had done. He was young then, so it was hard to really see the reality of it all, the late night fights between his parents, the failed business, the way that he was never far from a tumbler full of amber spirits. His dad was complicated, and as time passed he had convinced himself that the man left because he had felt trapped.

Cas finally said, "I don't ever want you to feel like you have to stay with me. I want you to stay. I want you. I just don't ever want you to feel trapped. I gave you a job, but that doesn't mean you owe me this or anything."

Dean reached across the space between them. "I quit." He cupped Cas' face between his hands. "I feel the exact opposite of trapped." He leaned in and kissed him, light like he might be rejected. Cas made sure to respond by moving into the kiss, letting his lips part just a little.

"Okay then," he said when Dean leaned back and just looked at him. He hired him again as they crossed the street.

* * *

They created a safe chasm of space between them. Cas had regrets. He didn't like the way that they were suddenly not touching. It was his fault, but he still didn't like it.

They got into the restaurant and found most of the staff there early. Even Anna, who was hours too early, was already sitting in the bar area folding napkins. "Why's everyone here?"

Charlie came over to them and gave Cas a hug. Anna was the one that answered though. "None of us wanted you to have to deal with it on your own. We wanted you to know that we're with you on this all the way." Anna gave him a hug next. Then the rest of the staff was out in the dining room seemingly waiting to chime in or to just give him some form of physical support—a hug or a good natured slap on the back. Kevin even stepped up and gave him a quick hug.

Dean stood off to the side and watched it all. "Thank you. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve you all. You are the best crew I could have ever asked for. This place would be nothing without you all, and I am blessed to know you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

* * *

Cas did his best to just work on the preparations for the evening meal. Dean worked opposite him and had a citrus glaze heating up for the squab. Cas worked on the items that were needed for the sweet butter poached Alaskan King Crab. He was going to pair it with some panisse. He already had the chickpea flour and seasonings going in the mixer and the oil heating for the frying.

Anna's voice called back to him. "Cas, your lawyer is here."

Dean waved him out. "I'll finish this off and then join you."

"Thanks Dean." Kevin and Rufus came over to Dean's side and He started instructing them.

Cas saw Sam standing off by the bar, his bag set on the stool at the end. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey, Cas. Did the other lawyer show up yet?"

Cas pulled out a stool and sat next to him. "Nope. I imagine that he'll show right before the dinner service."

"You're likely not wrong." And as if they'd summoned them by just thinking of them, Katja and her lawyer both walked through the door. Sam's face spread into an easy grin, coupled with a laugh. "Fergus, you rat bastard. I should have guessed that you were involved in this. Who else would choose to take on such a case?"

"Moose." The well-dressed man strolled into the room and right up to Sam. Katja was at his side, and she elbowed him.

"That's the man." She pointed at Cas. Her neck was being held stiffly in place with the neck brace.

"I see that Katja." Fergus turned his attention back to Sam though. "You slumming it here Sam?"

"Nah, I like to help out my friends when I think someone's trying to swindle them."

Fergus made a little fist and acted like he was clutching his heart in pain. "Moose, you're killing me. I thought we were friends."

"Oh, we were never that." Sam looked over to Cas and said, "We have a history with Fergus here. I wish I would have known that he was involved. Would've saved us all a lot of trouble."

Fergus pulled an overlarge envelope from his jacket and handed it to Cas. "Consider yourself served."

Sam waved a hand around between them and said, "Have a seat Fergus."

"Crowley."

"Sure, Fergus." Sam motioned to the seat.

He took the offered seat at the bar and cast a glance around the room. "Nice restaurant. You do well for yourself here I bet."

Cas didn't respond. Sam spoke though. "Here's some paperwork that I took the liberty of drawing up this morning." Sam pulled out a file and slid it over to Fergus. The man opened it up and scanned over the lengthy document. His expression went through a change at the midpoint.

Fergus looked up and instead of addressing the document, said, "So, how's Dean?" Cas noted the things that weren't said. There was a tonal shift in the way he used Dean's name. There seemed to be history in the speaking of it.

"You could ask me yourself I reckon." Dean moved out to Cas' side. He settled a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Hello, Fergus. How've you been?"

Fergus looked back and forth from Dean to Cas. He let his gaze linger longest on Dean though. "I'm well. Mother's a pain in the neck, but we all have our crosses." He paused a moment and added, "You look well."

"Thanks. Tell Rowena I said hi." There was something in the way he said it that told Cas that Dean did not like Fergus' mother so much.

Fergus turned his attention back to Sam and said, "Well, back to business, aye Moose."

"Never gets old Fergus," Sam said.

"Obviously, we are open to negotiations about this whole violent business. My client has generously offered to accept a respectable settlement in lieu of a rather costly, rather lengthy trial."

Sam interrupted him, "Clearly, you didn't read enough of the document, so I'll just give you the highlights." Sam's mouth curled up into a smug smile. "First off, there will be no settlement. My client is entirely uninterested in giving even one dime to Ms. Welch. As she had assaulted my client in the past and made public threats against his business and employees, we have sought out a restraining order against her."

"I imagine that you won't be able to obtain one. What judge would go along with that plan?" Fergus rolled up an eyebrow to showcase his doubt.

"Remember Judge Mills?"

"Ah, shit."

"Yeah, she always did have a soft spot for miscarriages of justice. Anyway, she made room on her docket today to hear what I had to say about Ms. Welch's assault on my client. And she was more than willing to grant me a restraining order that your client is now in clear violation of." Sam turned his attention to Katja now and said, "If I were you, I'd go stand out on the corner to wait for your attorney. You are to remain at least 50 feet away from my client at all times."

Katja looked to Fergus for help. "Best do what the man says." He motioned her off, and she stalked out the door in a huff. Cas was grinning ear to ear. "What else, Sam?"

"Well, I did some digging and it looks to me like Ms. Welch has a history of these lawsuits. I've managed to find four cases in which she got a settlement for the exact same claim, _her former boss assaulted her._ Interestingly enough, with each agreement, she also obtained a letter of reference from each that managed to keep her from losing her ability to find employment after the settlement. There were even your standard NDAs and such too."

"Then how did you find out any of this?" Fergus closed the folder and just watched Sam.

"You know me." Sam just smiled. "I always have my ways."

Fergus looked a little irritated but not much, "Well, just between us girls, how should we proceed here? I'm not one to waste a lot of time on something that isn't gonna net me some change."

"You'll need to make it clear to your client that this is not going to trial, that any form of harassment against my client will be grounds for prosecution and also jail time, and lastly, let her know that I'll be watching her. If I find that she has attempted this scam with anyone else, I will see to it that the district attorney, my personal friend, gets a copy of all of my notes on this issue. He'll likely be quite interested in prosecuting her for harassment, blackmail, and extortion."

Fergus reached out to Cas. "The envelope." Cas handed it to him. "Let's just pretend that this never happened. I'll convey your message to her." Sam got up and shook Fergus' hand.

"Glad we could take care of this so easily." Sam gave him a little nod and walked him to the door. Once the door closed, there was a little whoop of noise from the kitchen. All of the employees were clumped up near the server station, listening to the entire exchange.

They all came over now, and Cas said, "That was amazing."

Dean said, "I told you he was a boy genius." He gave his brother a hug that ended in a hearty back slap. "You really didn't know that it was Fergus?"

"I maybe knew." Sam smirked. "Thought it best to pretend I didn't." Dean laughed at him. "The look on his face was worth the price of admission."

"Sam, let me know how much I owe you. I can't even tell you how grateful I am. You're a miracle worker. Thanks so much." Cas reached out and shook his hand.

"Well, how about we call it even. You treat my brother right and we're square. Haven't seen him look this happy in a while. Dating you seems like a good thing, and I'd feel kinda bad taking money from you now that you're together." The room around them grew suddenly quiet.

Charlie broke the silence with, "I knew it. You all pay up." Cas looked around from face to face and saw them all ponying up wads of cash to hand to Charlie with a grumble.

"What the Hell, Charlie," Cas said.

Charlie was too busy collecting her winnings so Kevin explained. "We had a pool going. None of us thought that you'd take the plunge on the trip. Charlie, though, she had the faith. I mean, you both had been flirting for weeks now, and nothing had happened yet. Plus, you pretty much told her that you weren't going to be hitting on Dean, something about it not being proper. So, it seemed like a safe bet to say that you two would be pining for the foreseeable future. I was betting something in the neighborhood of eight years with a maybe slip up around year six." Kevin was grinning through the entirely too long explanation.

Dean was saying something near Sam's ear. Sam turned to Cas and said, "Sorry. Dean just told me that you all were keeping things quiet. Guess I ruined that."

"Dean was going to make keeping the secret hard, I'm sure." Cas noted how Dean started laughing as he said the word _hard_. "You're a child, Dean."

"Oh no, trouble in paradise already," Charlie laughed as she clapped him on the shoulder. She turned back to the group and said, "Now, Elizabeth and Rufus, how do you both feel about running the show tonight?" They both looked hopeful. "Because, I'm thinking our boys need a night off to celebrate since we cut their little vacation short."

"Oh, we don't need that." Cas started to wave off the effort when Dean came up to his side and settled his chin on Cas' shoulder.

"Speak for yourself." Dean pressed a quick kiss into his neck. "We so need this." Cas felt the heat rise up from his neck to his cheeks. He untied his apron and tossed it to Charlie.

"Guess we'll see you all tomorrow." Cas turned to Dean with a nod and took Dean's hand, threading their fingers together. "Feed Sam," he called back as they went out the door.

He heard Charlie call back, "You got it, Chef," with a whoop thrown on at the end for good measure.

Before Cas got into the Impala, Dean had him pressed back against the door. He kissed him until it was more than a kiss. It was a roadmap for where the night would take them, and what they had ahead of them on the road together. Cas was more than fine with the outlook. It seemed like he was quite lucky. "You're fired, Dean."

"What, you don't need a sous chef?" Dean laughed at him as he angled away from the kiss that Cas was about to give him.

"Oh, I so need a sous chef." Dean reached past him and opened the car door. Cas got in and Dean rounded to the other side. Dean got in and started the car. It roared to life and rumbled away from the curb. Cas set his hand on the bench seat between them, and Dean took it. He gave it a gentle squeeze and then raised it up to his lips. They drove onward to Cas' place, holding onto each other as they went.

* * *

 **AN: Well, there it is. I hope you all liked it. Thanks so much for reading and sharing a comment or two along the way. Don't forget to check out the art for this on my Tumblr spearywritesstuff. My artist for this project is the wonderful victorian-hoecake and today is her birthday.**


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